


The Hitch Hiker's Guide to Zootopia

by AeroQC



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Gen, Human in zootopia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-01-10
Packaged: 2019-03-03 00:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 43,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13330056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AeroQC/pseuds/AeroQC
Summary: During the first ever test of an experimental transportation system, a Human appears in the world of Zootopia. Follow Sean Drifner as he adjusts to his new life in the urban jungle of Zootopia.





	1. New Lease

**Author's Note:**

> This is an archive of the original 'Hitch Hiker's Guide' story that I had once posted over on FanFiction. This story, specifically, is no longer being written, but I do intend on re-writing it in a better fashion.  
> None of these chapters have been further edited since I had first written them, I'm mainly posting this to satisfy the nostalgia of some of my old readers.  
> Update: The song lyric sections were cut down due to them violating a section of the TOS here on AO3, the story is left marginally unaffected by this.

I don’t know if I could hate my life even more right now. My girlfriend dumped me, I’m failing in college and my work-life sucks. Not to mention that I don’t even know if I can afford this month’s rent. I guess I could ask my parents if they could send me some extra cash.  
I’m structuring the request in my head while walking up the stairway to my apartment when I hear my name being called out:  
“Drifner!”  
I take a look a few flights down the stairs and see my landlord.  
“Oh, Mr. Belucci! I was just about to call you up,” I lied, trying to put on my best smile.  
“Right… I’ll get straight to the point since you don’t seem to want to talk much.”  
Dammit, I hate how he sees right through me.  
“Do you have this month’s rent or not?”  
“Uh, well, I was just about to gather it up.”  
“You’re lucky I know that you’re reliable. You’ve got one week, any later and you’re kicked out,” he tells me with a menacing finger.  
“Yes, sir,” I quickly replied.  
I give him a somewhat carefree salute and bolt the rest of the way to my apartment.

I was on my bed, staring at the ceiling, contemplating how I would ever get the money for Mr. Belucci. I had called my parents, but they were no help. They really weren’t happy with me:  
“You know, Sean, if you had been more careful with your money you wouldn’t be in this mess.”  
“Dad, I really don’t need to hear this right now, I just want to know if you can help with my rent for the month.”  
“I don’t see why I should help. You’ve always been able to get out of trouble by the skin of your teeth, and yet you never learn from your mistakes. I’m done enabling you and so is your mother, now get your act in gear and figure this out by yourself.”  
He had hung up on me before I could retaliate.  
My dad was right though, I had very uncanny luck when it came to getting out of trouble and I had coasted on that luck throughout my life. Right now, it seemed like it had finally run out. After that hassle, of course I needed a little pick-me-up. I had Bob Marley playing in my headphones, I always felt better whenever I listened to his songs.  
_I give you my phone number. When you worry, call me, I make you happy._  
Oddly enough, the song pretty much summed up my entire situation; I couldn’t help but sadly smile.

I was getting hungry so I decided to call for a pizza. I know, I’m in need of cash and I’m spending what little I have, but I didn’t feel up to the task of cooking. While I typed in the number of the pizzeria, the temperature seemed to rise slightly. Stupid thermostat, I always had to wear a sweater because the damn thing was finicky with its output. It was never warm enough, but raise it just a little and Mr. Belucci would have a fit. What was really odd this time though was that the air got really dry at the same time, you could feel the static starting to build up. But my hunger was more important, so I hit the dial option on my phone.

The apartment went all dark, my phone was the only glow left in the small space. And weirdly enough the glow was getting bigger. Okay, no need to panic. In my hand, the phone was starting to vibrate and gain more luminescence, no need to panic. Not to long after, electricity was starting to arc from it. Now I’m panicking.  
What do I do?!? Is this thing going to explode? Should I drop it and run for cover? I could hear a slow hum in my ears; it was building up in noise, drowning out the sounds of the street outside. Then all at once, everything went dark. Or maybe I blacked out?

I couldn’t see anything, or even hear anything. I tried to look down at myself, but saw nothing, still only darkness. I started to hear muffled noises, garbled voices all around me. My vision started to come back, fading through black-and-white then adding splotches of colour, my eyes burned as they adjusted so I closed them shut. I held onto my head as I bent over, it felt like it was going to split open. The voices became clearer by the second:  
“Can***hear**?*****understand me?”  
“Why do********it would**********you?  
“Calm down******the subject is obviously*************adjusting to his sudden****************a moment.”  
I don’t know how long I laid there on the floor; it was cold, was it concrete? Eventually the pain subsided and I decided to get up. I could feel myself being helped along, propping me up; much appreciated since I felt very dizzy. Finally I opened my eyes.

I was in front of a crowd, but not a normal one. In front of me stood over two dozen creatures of varying sizes, most of them seeming familiar. In fact they were all familiar, since they were all animals. Animals dressed in suits and lab-coats, holding up cameras and notepads. All of them looking at me with an expression that I think was surprise. I turned around to see who or what was helping me stand and found myself face to face with a fox, a rabbit and a pig. I couldn’t help but back away, falling on my butt as I tripped over an extension cord. I crawled away into a corner hiding my head:  
“This is a bad dream. I’m going to wake up. I’m still at home. It’s just a bad dream. It’s just a bad dream…”  
“Well, at least he speaks our language,” a male-sounding voice quipped.  
“Nick! You could at least be a bit more empathetic to him,” a female voice retorted.  
“Well sorry for trying to lighten the mood, Carrots.”  
Another male voice chimed in.  
“Perhaps it would be best to attend to our guest in private?”  
“Good idea,” the female voice replied. “Nick, clear the room, I’ll try to calm him down.”  
I then felt something warm on my shoulder; a paw?  
“Hey, it’s going to be all right. My name is Judy, can you tell me yours?”  
I look up to see the rabbit, Judy, in a blue uniform with a golden medal on the breast. Behind her was the pig, dressed in a white lab-coat, and further back was the fox, dressed the same as Judy, ushering the other animals out of the room.  
“I’m Sean Drifner,” I said in a small voice. “Where am I?”  
Judy smiled at me, and gave me as much of a hug as she could; I guess I sounded scared enough to merit one.  
“Welcome to Zootopia, Sean.”


	2. Homo-What?

Excitement couldn’t be higher in Zootopia. The eccentric pig physicist and inventor Samuel Wiggins had just released a small notice for a press conference and demonstration of his newest invention. A notice that spread across the internet like wildfire; as Professor Wiggins was a notable influence on the development of the city. His creations ranged from the most absurd to the greatest of boons; if something was made in Zootopia, chances were that it was designed by Wiggins.

The small crowd of news reporters and broadcasters waited eagerly for the Professor’s announcement. They had been invited personally to Wiggins’ private exposition hall just outside of his workshop, each of them reporting for a different newspaper or station. ZNN and The Zootopia Times were represented of course, as well as a few district papers: The Burrow Post, Sahara Star and The Tundra Tribune among others.  
This amount of media attention, albeit small, necessitated some form of order. As such, officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde were appointed to provide crowd control and protection for Samuel Wiggins if needed.  
Standing facing the dozen or so reporters, the two were indeed not as excited for the event. Judy was the most bitter.  
“You just had to open your mouth, didn’t you Nick?”  
“Oh, we’re still going over this?”  
“Yes, we are. Because it’s your fault we’re here today, babysitting these reporters.”  
“Carrots, how was I supposed to know the chief was right behind me while I was doing that impression?”  
“You had plenty of warning; Clawhauser texted that he was coming our way!”  
“Well you didn’t help; you were having a laughing fit right as he turned the corner.”  
Judy couldn’t help but face-paw, since it was true. At that moment, a blond-haired pig came in through the double-doors. Following him were some assistants pulling a contraption covered in a large drape.  
“Let’s just focus on the job. The Professor seems to have arrived anyway.”  
“Says the dumb bunny who brought it up.”  
“Nick,” she gave him a menacing look.  
“Alright, focusing,” he surrendered.

Professor Wiggins, in his immaculate lab-coat, stood before the press and gave his greetings:  
“Welcome, my guests, to a very important day in the history of Zootopia. I stand before you with my greatest invention yet, one that could only be imagined as science-fiction before now. For a long time, travelling has been a tedious affair and I am happy to know that my improvements to the tramway have been very well received.”  
A few of the reporters applauded.  
“But even so, I have been striving to make travel between the districts even more fluid. For instance, what if you could travel to the Canal District from Sahara Square in a single step?”  
Murmurs among the small crowd started to form.  
“Is that even possible?”  
“He’s completely lost it now.”  
“Maybe he made a mistake in his wording?”  
The Professor chuckled as the reporters seemed confused by his statement.  
“I see that you don’t quite understand what I mean. I’ll just speak in layman so that you may understand a little more. For the past few years, I have been studying with my assistants on a means to travel very large distances in a very short time. And today I’m going to be putting it to the test.”

Wiggins walked on over to the contraption behind him and removed the drape. Underneath was revealed to be two large metal rings, each on a separate plinth.  
“These machines are the product of our imagination and engineering and the future of long-distance travel. The TelePortal!”  
Many camera flashes ensued, as well as a bombardment of questions for the Professor. But Wiggins merely raised his hooves to command silence.  
“I know you are all very curious to know how it works, and I assure you it is very interesting, but that is not why I asked you here today. Today shall be the first test of our new invention, and I wanted it to be a wonderful moment. For as they say: ‘The more, the merrier’!”

By this point, Judy was a bit apprehensive of the whole idea and decided to intervene:  
“Excuse me. Professor Wiggins? Officer Hopps, ZPD. Can I talk to you for a moment?”  
“Why of course, Miss Hopps.”  
Returning his attention to the crowd, Wiggins calls for a short break, indicating the complimentary drinks near the entrance.  
“Now, what seems to be the problem officer?”  
Judy could’ve had a field day with the number of problems she had, but only one involved the Professor. She merely held out her carrot pen and pressed the button on the side; Wiggins’ voice promptly played:  
_“Today shall be the first test of our new invention…”_  
“First test!?!” Judy exclaimed.  
Nick was quick to hold her back.  
“Carrots, calm down.”  
“Calm down? How can I be calm when we don’t even know if his TelePortals are even safe?”  
“Rest assured, they perfectly are,” Wiggins quickly interjected.  
“How do you know that?” Judy retorted. “You said they weren’t tested yet.”  
“Perhaps I wasn’t clear enough, Miss Hopps. My assistants and I have run multiple simulations on our mainframe and are absolutely certain that nothing will happen that will endanger anyone present.”  
Some tension was released, but Judy was still apprehensive about the whole thing.  
“Just promise me that nothing bad will happen.”  
“I wouldn’t want it any other way, my dear.”

A few minutes later, the reporters were gathered once again before Professor Wiggins.  
“And now, for the moment you have been waiting for! It’s time to activate the TelePortals! Mandy, if you would be so kind?”  
An otter in a lab-coat rushed to a nearby console and stroke a few keys; pausing her paw over a flashing green button:  
“Ready to go, Professor!”  
“Then let the spectacle commence!”  
Down went her paw, and out went the lights.

 ----

“Okay Carrots, the room’s all ours.”  
“Thanks.”  
“So who’s our paranoid friend here?”  
“Nick,” Judy proceeded to push the fox away from me. “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all.”  
“But then you’ll miss hearing my sweet voice,” he jeered.  
“This is not the time, Nick.”  
By now, the pig in the lab-coat decided to talk to me.  
“Mr. Drifner, was it? If I may be so bold as to ask what species you are?”  
“I’m sorry?” I was confused more by the circumstances than the question itself.  
“You see, my boy, I have studied the many different mammals that live in Zootopia and all around our world. But you are not among them, you are an entirely different creature altogether. So I ask again: what species are you?”  
The pig seemed to eye me intently. I looked to Judy for some answers, but she merely shrugged.  
“Human,” I answered quite meekly.  
“Hue-min?” The pig seemed puzzled. “I’m not familiar with the name, perhaps a slang term? Do you have a scientific identification for your species?”  
“Uh,” my mind was blank for a moment. Then I remembered History class, where I had learned what seemed to be the most useless piece of trivia ever.  
“Homo Sapiens. Yeah, that’s right.”  
“Homo-what? Ow!”  
I looked over to the fox, Nick, and found him rubbing his foot. Judy must have stepped on him.  
“Homo Sapiens,” the pig continued. “The wise man? Very interesting. Could you elucidate me further on your species? I must know more. There is no telling what kinds of secrets you have.”  
Okay, now I’m scared of a pig-scientist that seems to wants to dissect me. Fortunately, Judy came to my rescue:  
“Professor, you’re scaring him. I’m sure you can ask him as many questions as you want later. For now, I think it would be a good idea if he got away from the Press, at least until he’s feeling more confident. How does that sound Sean?”  
“I think that would be a good idea, Judy”  
With what seemed like a flare of excitement in her eyes, she gave me a smile and turned to the pig.  
“Professor, are there any other exits to the building?”  
He raised one of his hooves and pointed to a set of double-doors.  
“Of course my dear, the loading dock is not too far down the hall through there. That’s where we hauled in the TelePortals. It would have been far too inconvenient to bring them in through the front door, now would it?”  
“Thanks professor. I’m afraid my partner and I are going to have to leave you to deal with the reporters. Can I trust you to keep Sean out of their minds?”  
“By all means, I’m not so dense as to prevent myself a chance to encounter our dear guest again without such annoyances bothering us.”  
“Umm, thanks, I guess,” Judy said with a seemingly worried smile.  
Judy then instructed the fox to get the car while we headed to the loading dock. It didn’t take too long before a monster of a patrol car rolled up, with the diminutive animal at the wheel.  
“Alright, you two; let’s blow this Popsicle stand,” he said while flicking on a pair of aviator shades.  
Judy hopped into the passenger seat as I stepped into the back, and immediately searched for the seatbelt as the vehicle leapt forward.  
“Jeez, Nick. Are you trying to give him a heart-attack?”  
“I’m just showing him how I roll,” Nick chuckled. “Sean, right?”  
“Yeah,” I answered with a little bit of panic in my voice.  
“The name’s Nick Wilde, Judy’s my partner.”  
“I guess you two are cops?”  
“The first bunny and fox cops on the force,” Judy chimed in.  
“Not to mention, the best cops on the force,” Nick added.  
“Need I remind you that I’m the best?” The bunny argued. “You’re just lucky I teamed up with you.”  
“Oh come off it Carrots, you wouldn’t be half as good as you are now if it weren’t for me.”  
I decided to change the subject before things got ugly:  
“Mind if I ask where we’re headed?”  
“That would actually be a good thing to know, Judy,” the fox admitted.  
“I’m thinking we need to call in a favour, a Big favour.”  
“You got it.”

As we drove through the streets of Zootopia, Judy gave me the Cliff’s Notes tour: many mammals of different species lived here in harmony, predator and prey alike.  
“As evidenced by yours truly,” she rang.  
The city was split into multiple districts catering to different climates, and Tundratown was our destination.  
As we came out of the tunnel, the windshield was hit with a flurry of snow, and the landscapes of Tundratown were obscured by the fog of the windows. But not too long after, a winter wonderland was visible where only a few minutes earlier I was seeing rolling hills of green.  
“How-”  
“How is there snow outside?” Judy interjected. “Well that’s all thanks to the biggest air-conditioning system ever built. They also blast hot air into Sahara Square.”  
She would have made a great tour-guide.  
“Remember the Professor, Sean?” Nick called out.  
“The pig in the lab-coat?”  
“Yeah, him, he designed that air-conditioning system. Pretty neat, right?”  
“Seriously!?”  
“Do I look serious?” Nick looked at me through the rear-view mirror  
“To be completely honest, the aviators aren’t helping,” I deadpanned.  
And just like that, Judy lost it at the same time as Nick's ears drooped. For the next five minutes she couldn't keep down a laugh while he remained silent; I guess I hurt his ego?

Fortunately, we arrived at our destination after Judy had calmed down. We came up to what looked like a mansion surrounded by a wrought-iron fence. As we coasted closer to the gate, we were stopped by some polar bears in black suits.  
“Can I help you three?” One of them growled.  
“We’re here to see Mr. Big,” Judy quickly said.  
“Mr. Big isn’t seeing anyone today, you should leave.”  
“Oh, I’m pretty sure Mr. Big would love to see us,” Nick chimed.  
At this point the bear seemed quite annoyed.  
“If Mr. Big wanted to see you, you would already be seeing him. Now leave.”  
Suddenly, a voice over an intercom roared out:  
“ROOKIE!”  
Everyone in the car jumped at the same time, I think even the bear outside flinched.  
“That’s Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, personal friend of Mr. Big and Godmother to Mr. Big’s grand-daughter, respectively. Now let them in.”  
“Yes boss, sorry boss,” the bear said in a cowardly manner. 

He hastily opened the gate, letting the car drive up to the doorstep we were greeted by yet another polar bear, even more towering than the others.  
“Thanks for the help, Koslov,” Judy said.  
“My pleasure Miss Hopps,” Koslov replied. “But please, make sure you call in next time you decide to drop by.”  
I was pretty sure the bear was eyeing Nick during that last bit. Nick was even looking away, still wearing his aviators. Koslov escorted us through the mansion to a back office where Mr. Big sat waiting in a leather-bound chair.

It turns out that Mr. Big isn’t “big” in every sense of the word; he’s serious, powerful and wealthy, but he could sit in the palm of my hand, as small as he is. Judy and Nick were good friends with him and luckily for me he decided to “extend an olive branch” in order to help me too. Per Judy’s request that I lay low, Mr. Big offered a spare apartment that he had available in one of his buildings. I asked how I could pay him back, but he refused to accept anything “from friends of the family”. This guy was giving off a serious Godfather vibe; that was a definite.

After the arrangements were made, and goodbyes were said, Nick, Judy and I headed off to my new place in Savannah Square. It was getting late though and I guess everyone was feeling hungry, since Nick asked if anyone felt like having takeout.  
“To be honest, I was just about to order something to eat before I got here, so I’m starving.”  
“Perfect!” Nick beamed in the rear-view mirror. “One question, though.”  
“What’s that?”  
“Are you prey or predator?”  
“Jeez, Nick, would it hurt you to learn some tact?” Judy was obviously exasperated with him at this point.  
“It’s a valid question,” Nick defended. “Look kid, we’re not familiar with your species, Homo-whatsitnow-”  
“Human,” Judy and I corrected.  
“Sorry. _Human_. It would just help with the food choices if we knew if you were prey or predator.”  
Judy looked at me apologetically:  
“It’s true, Sean. It would make things a lot easier.”  
“Well, then I’m going to have to say predator.”

I swear I could hear their jaws drop. Nick was the first to respond:  
“Well you could have fooled me. No claws, no fangs; how are you supposed to be a predator?”  
I guess I really don’t look that threatening.  
“I’m pretty sure my ancestors used tools for hunting, but then they developed agriculture and domestication so we don’t really need to hunt anymore.”  
“Then you also eat vegetables, right?” Judy finally asked.  
“Yes, I think omnivore is the word? But I draw the line at grass and leaves.”  
“I hear you there kid,” Nick replied. “I could never understand what was so great about grass; everyone walks on that stuff, who knows where they stepped?”  
Judy was obviously having some bad mental images, judging by her face.  
“Do you guys have pizza, at least?”  
“I thought you would never ask. In fact, I know a place just down this street,” Nick said with a wry smile as he swerved the car around.

I’ve got a bad feeling about this.


	3. Still Mad?

(Note to self: if Nick offers food, double-check with Judy.)

 

Here I am, standing in the top-floor apartment of a high-rise. Not really mine, but it was lent to me, no-strings-attached, courtesy of Mr. Big; a friend of my two new friends, who were there with me. They decided to stay the night to keep me company and I’m grateful for it. I don’t know how I managed to go through that first day, but I know I wouldn’t have made it without Judy and Nick.  
Pulled from my misery and dropped in this new world; it was finally starting to sink in. Looking at the floor-to-ceiling window, I see a vague ghost of myself staring back. Shoes, jeans, sweater and headphones, that’s all that I brought with me. Well, I guess there’s my wallet and smartphone, but my ghost doesn’t seem to have them. Past him, I see the city that I fell into, or to be less precise, the world that I fell into. The world of Zootopia.

The last few hours of the day went by like nothing; after our meal we headed straight for the apartment where Judy and Nick had lots of questions for me. I had my fair share as well, so we stayed up late into the night. I taught them a bit about my world, while they told me an ear-full about theirs. It seems that not much was different between them, the way of life may vary from species to species here, but when you boiled it down, it was essentially the same as back home.

Home.  
Do I want to go back?  
Can I go back?  
What’s waiting for me other than a late rent, a shitty job and a failing grade?  
My parents?  
I’m pretty sure that they gave up on me that night.  
_“..Get your act in gear and figure this out for yourself.”_  
Yeah... They pretty much did.  
Damn, I need a pick-me-up.  
I take out my phone and flick over to my collection of Bob Marley songs. Headphones plugged in, I hit the shuffle option.  
_Buffalo soldier, in the heart of America. Stolen from Africa; brought to America._  
I hate my life right now.

“Sean? Are you still up?”  
I notice Judy’s reflection in the window.  
“Can’t sleep,” I sigh, looking out at the skyline.  
“You probably should have said something beforehand. I think Nick would have appreciated the bed more.”  
I take a look at the sofa in the middle of the room, where Nick was sleeping. Judy had taken the guest bedroom for herself, and the master bedroom was technically mine; so Nick got the couch.  
“Eh, he kind of deserves it.”  
“Still mad about the pizza?” She pried.  
“Please, don’t remind me…” I shuddered.  
I look down at Judy; her usually perky ears are drooped across her back. Is she okay?  
“Judy?”  
“How are you feeling?” She suddenly asks.  
“Huh?”  
She looks straight at me and asks again:  
“Right now, how are you feeling? You were taken from your home and dumped here. You don’t know anyone, you can’t call anyone and you can’t go back.”  
Her eyes started to tear up.  
“If we weren’t there when you showed up, who knows what would have happened to you.”  
I drop down and hug her, stopping her in her tracks.  
“But you were there,” I said softly. “And I’m not alone. I’ve got you guys.”  
I pull out of the hug, keeping at eye level.  
“At first, I was confused and scared. But then you came, and things got better from there. I’m still a bit down, but I’m not scared anymore. Thank you.”  
“Oh, Sean.”

A slow clap breaks the silence of the apartment:  
“And the Oscar for best dramatic scene goes to Sean Drifner.”  
I look to the couch. Sure enough, it’s Nick, sitting up with the groggiest of expressions. His fur is visibly flattened on one side.  
“How long have you been ‘spectating’?” I ask.  
“I don’t know. Still mad about the pizza?” He grins.  
I’m already heading to my room:  
“Goodnight, Nick.”  
“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’.”

 

I wake up to a nice, warm, smell. Following it to the kitchennette, I'm greeted with a mess of pots and pans, all gunked with what looks like batter. In the middle of it all, Nick is humming away, mixing up some more batter.  
"Uh, Nick. What's with the destruction?"  
"What?" He turns around, revealing a frilly apron. "Oh, this. I figured I'd make some breakfast; do you like waffles?"  
"About as much as the next guy, yeah, but how much did you make?"  
"Wasn't sure how big your appetite would be so..." He gestures to the oven, where a literal mountain of waffles was keeping warm.  
"Um, I think that's plenty, thanks."  
"Still mad about the pizza?"  
I hang my head. Of course it's about the pizza.  
"If I said 'no', will you stop making waffles?" I deadpan.  
"Sure, just let me finish this last batch. In the meantime, I think Judy is done with her shower."  
"Thanks, I'll go take one then."

On my way to the washroom, I pass by Judy:  
“Hey Judy, Nick’s been making waffles and-”  
“They’re fine,” she giggles. “Jeez, Sean, give the poor guy some credit.”  
“Well, I think he kind of over did it with the apology.”  
“Sorry,” she winced. “I forgot that he can do that sometimes.”  
“You mean to say that this was your idea?” I pried.  
“I didn’t say that,” she chimed. “Now, why don’t you go shower so you can join us for breakfast.”  
“Okay.”

The bathroom is nicely decorated, like the rest of the apartment, with a somewhat modern touch. Again with the floor-to-ceiling windows; I hope these things are tinted. Beyond them, I see Zootopia being basked in the morning sunlight, the sky still reflecting a slight orange just above the horizon. This definitely merits a photo.

 

After our breakfast was done, and the mountain of leftover waffles packed and frozen away, Judy, Nick and I headed to ZPD Headquarters, where they worked. They hadn’t punched in the night before and they were expecting some questions from their boss; in any case, I didn’t expect the greeting that we got.  
Following the duo into the lobby, I immediately noticed the big plump cat with cheetah-print fur at the front desk. It was lazily looking at the computer screen on the desk while plucking donuts out of a carton. The police uniform brought it all together into what was the stereotypical lazy cop; at least, that’s what it looked like.  
“Judy! Nick! What happened to you two?”  
He was immediately very chipper at the sight of them; and anxious.  
“You guys didn’t clock in last night, and the news is all riled up about what happened at the presentation…”He trailed off; looks like he finally noticed me.  
The cat leaned towards Nick and Judy:  
“Is he with you guys?” He said in a low voice.  
“Ben, this is Sean Drifner,” Judy introduced. “He just arrived yesterday. Sean this is Officer Benjamin Clawhauser.”  
“Hey there, you can call me Ben.” Clawhauser held out his paw, which I shook.  
“Nice to meet you,” I greeted.  
“Hey, Clawhauser,” Nick intruded. “Do you think the chief would mind seeing us?”  
“Actually-”  
“HOPPS! WILDE! MY OFFICE! NOW!”  
Oh my god, I think I’m going to have a heart attack.  
“You guys better go quick,” Clawhauser said.  
“Sure thing,” Judy replied. “Would you mind staying here, Sean?”  
“Only if Ben doesn’t mind.”  
“Oh, I’d be happy to have some company!” Clawhauser practically squealed.  
“See you in a bit then,” Nick said.

“So, new arrival in Zootopia?” Clawhauser asked, offering a honey glazed donut.  
“Yeah, just got here yesterday,” I said, taking the offer. “Nick and Judy have been a great help.”  
“Oh? How so?”  
“They helped me get an apartment in Savannah Square; top floor, really nice place and the view is awesome.”  
“I’m almost jealous, you got any pics?” He pried; I could see his tail flicking back and forth.  
“Yeah, I took one last night.” I pulled out my phone and showed him the scenery from the window. “And this one, this morning.”  
“Wow, those are some nice views. But I’ve gotta say, that peeping-tom just ruins those shots.”  
“What? Where?”  
Clawhauser pointed to the rooftop in the middle of the picture:  
“Right here, see the binoculars? And I’m pretty sure that’s not a satellite dish, either.”  
“Well shi-”  
“Sean? Are you still down there?”  
I look up at the second floor balcony to find Judy.  
“Right here, what’s up?”  
“Can you join us?” She asked. “The chief wants to see you.”  
“Uh-oh,” Clawhauser chimed. “I think someone is in trouble.”  
“Far from it,” I said. “I’ll be right up, Judy.”

I just hope I’m right.


	4. Real Work

And now I’m up against a wall. Of meat. Shaped like a bull. Horrible analogy aside, the imposing figure that I assume is the chief has been sizing me up ever since I stepped into the room.

“Take a seat,” he said calmly, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of his desk.  
Judy and Nick where there as well, sharing the chair next to mine. The desk was clear except for a computer and a nameplate; ‘Chief Bogo’ it read.  
“So you’re the new arrival,” Bogo said. “You made quite the impression, yesterday.”  
He tossed over a newspaper, The Zootopia Times. ‘Animal Scares in Elaborate Prank’, the headline said, a picture of myself was just underneath.  
"Now of course we all know that journalists can overreact sometimes,” the large mammal continued. “But in this case, I would love to hear what the hell is going on!”  
Nick tried to reply:  
“Chief, we’ve already told you-”  
“Can it, Wilde! I’ve heard your story, as happy-go-lucky as it is, but now I’m asking for his.” At this point, the chief was pointing a hoof at me.  
“Sir, if you’ve already questioned them, then why ask me?”  
Bogo turned to me; I regret asking that.  
“Because I’m not someone who can be fooled with a sob-story of someone the likes of you, appearing out of nowhere and being scared out of their wits! Now you’re going to tell me what happened yesterday afternoon.”

\----

Retelling yesterday’s events didn’t take as long as I thought it would, but it was still nerve-wracking. The chief kept his eyes on me the entire time, arms crossed, only ever asking the odd question here and there. But it was over, I had told my story, now I just had to know what kind of judgement Bogo was going to make.

“As hard as it is to believe,” He started. “I can tell you’re not lying.”  
He leaned back in his chair and gave out a sigh.  
“I’m sorry I had to put you through that, but I hope you can understand, given the circumstances. These two are a bit too trusting for their own good sometimes.”  
“It’s fine, Sir,” I said. “The same thing probably would have happened back home.”  
“Happy to know that,” Bogo smiled. “But now on to more important matters.”  
The Chief pulled up to the desk and looked over to the pair on the chair next to me.  
“Mr. Drifner here is not in the system. Hell, as far as the government knows, he doesn’t even exist. No identification, no certificate, nothing. He’s practically a refugee.”  
Judy spoke up:  
“Chief, we were hoping that you could help us with that.”  
“And how do you think I could possibly help?”  
“Maybe ask some higher-ups to make IDs for Sean?” She answered with a shrug and a less than convincing smile.  
“This isn’t a TV-show, Hopps,” Bogo Sighed. “I may be the head of the ZPD, but I don’t have the authority to ask the government for that. You’ll have to go through the standard procedures.”  
“But Chief, that could take weeks, maybe even months,” Nick added.  
“Then let’s just hope that it doesn’t come to ‘months’, because you two will be responsible for Mr. Drifner here until the paperwork goes through.”  
“What?!?” The three of us said in unison.  
“Let me put it this way: Mr. Drifner is in your care until he has the proper identification of being a citizen of Zootopia. I’ll still need you on call and ready for duty, but your primary directive as of today is basically keeping him out of trouble until his certificates come in.”  
This was all a bit much, but Judy seemed to have gotten the gist of it.  
“Sir, we’ll get this done as soon as possible,” she said with confidence.  
“Good, you may leave.”  
On our way out, Bogo called to my new caretakers:  
“One more thing, before I forget. Half-pay for the next week, I won’t tolerate my officers going AWOL!”

 

“You know, I really hope I’m not dragging down the Professor with this whole shtick.”  
While Judy was filing the paperwork for my citizenship, Nick and I waited in their cubicle. The fox was busy trying to balance a pen on his nose, and while it was entertaining for a few minutes, I was now reading the news article about my ‘prank’.  
“He’ll be fine,” Nick said. “Celebrities like him get involved in scandals all the time and this is nothing. In fact, it’s a good thing. Now the press is focused on Wiggins and not you.”  
It was true; the article detailed how Wiggins had planned the event to be a big hoax, with me being nothing but a footnote. Other than that, there was nothing else interesting in the news; some elephant by the name of Trunk was running for office, a music artist going by the name Prance was being mourned, change the names around and you would think it was a newspaper from home. The more things change, the more they stay the same, I guess. But having lost interest in the news, the wait for Judy just seemed to drag on even more.

The bunny had left for the mail-room about ten minutes ago, my citizenship request in hand; or would it be paw? My gaze wandered around the cubicle, it wasn’t decorated with much; Nick had told me that he didn’t need anything extra since most of his shifts were on patrol with Judy. Her desk did have one picture though: two rabbits in farm clothes stood on either side of Judy in her uniform. I guess they were her parents.

“Okay! That’s all done,” Judy’s voice came from around the corner. “Now we can get out of here and get some real work done.”  
“‘Real work’?” Nick asked, pulling out of his reclining position. “All we’re doing is baby-sitting Sean, and you qualify that as ‘real work’?”  
“Nick, it’s more than that,” Judy pressed. “We’re not just going to be sitting around and waiting for the paperwork. We’ll show Sean around the city, maybe help him find something he can do around here. What do you say?”  
She had turned to me for that last question.  
“Well, since I’m not even sure if I can go back,” I started as I got out of my chair. “I guess I might as well enjoy what’s here.”  
“Great! Now let’s get on out of here.”

A brief trip to the locker rooms had my friends now dressed in casual attire. Nick wore a green Hawaiian shirt with a loose tie and slacks, while Judy had a blue plaid piece over denim pants; no shoes though.  
We waved Clawhauser goodbye as we left the building:  
“Come back again soon, Sean!” He said.  
“Hopefully, not in cuffs!” I joked.  
In the parking lot near the precinct, Judy led us to a small pickup.  
“Okay, hop in,” she said. “We’ve got a lot to do today.”  
I stopped and took a look at the truck.  
“Yeah, I don’t think I’m gonna fit Judy.” I said flatly.  
It almost reached to my chest in height, but the compartment was definitely too small for me, let alone all three of us.  
“And I take it you don’t have a car?” I asked Nick.  
“Even if I did, I still doubt you would fit,” he deadpanned.  
“Why don’t I just call a taxi?” Judy offered.  
“That probably would have been a good idea from the get-go, Carrots.” The Fox teased.

 

What Judy had implied as work for today more or less boiled down to a shopping spree. I needed clothes, badly. I had arrived in Zootopia with literally nothing more than the clothes on my back, and I didn’t intend on spending more time than needed in them. We took a taxi to the nearest thrift store, but just as we were about to step inside a shrill voice stopped us:  
“Judy! There you are!”  
Turning around to where the taxi used to be, a black limo stood in its place. Through an open window at the back, I could see a small shrew in a frilly dress being held on a familiar white paw.  
“Fru Fru? What are you doing here?” Judy’s surprise was evident.  
“I heard from Daddy that you made a visit yesterday. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there; Little Judy was having a tantrum and needed my attention. So who’s the new kid?”  
“This is Sean, he’s actually why we made the visit; your father helped him out with a place to stay at a spare apartment.”  
Fru Fru looked to me:  
“So, new to Zootopia then?”  
“Yeah,” I replied. “We were just about to go shopping for some clothes for me, so I don’t want to take any more of your time.”  
“Wait. You guys weren’t planning on getting rags were you?”  
“Fru,” Judy started. “He doesn’t have any money on him and the chief just cut our pay, we can’t exactly go to any clothing store.”  
“Nonsense!” The shrew shouted, stomping her foot down. “I will not stand by and let you walk into a thrift store. You three are coming with me.”

The door to the limo promptly opened, revealing the large polar bear holding up Fru Fru.  
“And where are you planning on taking us?” Nick asked.  
“Well what do you think?” Fru Fru replied, her paws on her hips. “Shopping, of course!”  
“Weren’t you listening? We don’t have the cash to afford a whole wardrobe.”  
“Who ever said you were paying?”  
Nick paused, confused, then realisation seemed to pour on his face.  
“Seems like you got the idea,” Fru Fru said. “And I won’t be taking a ‘no’ for an answer. Consider it a welcoming gift.”

 

The parade of clothing seemed to last forever. The shrew had brought us to a seemingly popular shop and she was constantly having me try on whatever she seemed to lay her eyes on. But we eventually settled on a moderately sized collection of jeans, shirts and sweaters for me to wear.  
“Thanks again for the clothes, Fru Fru,” I told her for the tenth time.  
“Don’t mention it, Hun,” she bashfully replied. “It’s the least I could do for a friend of Judy’s. Let me know if you want to do another spree.”  
“I’ll be happy to, have a good evening,” I said as I waved the limo goodbye.  
She had dropped me and Nick off at my apartment building, while Judy stayed to get a ride back to the precinct so she could retrieve her pickup. Now all that was left for us to do was drag the half-dozen shopping bags to the elevator.  
“You know, if you had asked, we probably could’ve gotten a hand from one of her bodyguards,” Nick pointed out, struggling with two bags. They were about half his size each, so he was practically waddling with the load.  
“I know my luck is good, but I’m not one to really push it.”

We finally stepped into the elevator and signalled it to the top floor.  
“Besides,” I said while pulling out my phone. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about this.”  
I showed him the same pictures that I had shown Clawhauser earlier:  
“Ben pointed out that there’s someone who might be spying on us, right here.”  
“Ah crumbs. Not only are they using binoculars, but that looks like a parabola too.”  
“Mind filling me in on what that is, Detective?”  
“It’s basically a long distance microphone, Kid. And since it’s pointed directly at the windows, every sound in the apartment is picked up.”  
“Not only that, but I got the feeling that we were being followed today.”  
“Same here, now that you mention it. Whoever this spy is, we need to bring them in and fast. The press will swarm you like crazy if they find out you’re more than just part of a prank.”  
We both stood there, wracking our brains on how to catch our spy, when I suddenly realized something:  
“Hey Nick, I don’t think our spy knows we’re onto them. So why don’t we trick him, or at least scare him?”  
“I’m listening.”  
“That parabola will pick up anything in the apartment, right? Well, what if I play something really loud off of the stereo equipment I saw in the living area?”  
Nick shot me a sly grin:  
“I like the way you think. I’ll keep a lookout on our spy; as soon as I give the signal, hit’em with everything you got.”

I immediately started rifling through my collection of music. I needed something with a good jolt, so I opted to look through my Rock tunes. It had to be a slow build at first so our spy wouldn’t immediately shy away. So let’s see: AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters, no, no, and no. I scrolled some more: Queen, to soft, Rush, to slow, Survivor, maybe.  
I opened up the songs I had by Survivor and looked down the list, one popped up at me as if it was begging to be played.  
“Perfect.”

We didn’t need to wait long the spy to show up on the opposite roof.  
“Hey Sean, do you have any music to liven up the place? It’s kind of dull just waiting for Judy,” the fox said while lazily looking out the window from the sofa.  
That was my signal.  
“Sure, just let me set up.”  
I walked over to the stereo and plugged in my phone, making sure to adjust the volume dial to a low volume.  
“I hope you like this; it’s a classic back home.”  
I pressed play and the opening bass of ‘Eye of the Tiger’ started to play. It strummed on for a few seconds, and just before the main guitar kicked I spun the volume to maximum output. The whole apartment was filled with the blaring of electric guitar strikes. It almost hurt, but I couldn’t even imagine what our spy was experiencing; they had to be wearing headphones to hear what the parabola was picking up. It didn’t take long for Nick to give me the thumbs up, signalling our success. Cutting the music, I looked to the rooftop outside.

There stood a mammal holding their head in what looked like pain; I couldn’t hear anything, but it seemed to be that they were shouting. As soon as the animal seemed to have calmed down, I gave them a wave.  
“If you can hear me, give me a wave,” I said.  
Sure enough, the animal waved back.  
“Good, now I’m sorry we had to do that, but I’m not really in the mood to be spied on. So if you don’t want my friend, Officer Wilde, to take you down to the precinct, then I suggest you come over here with your equipment so we can have a little chat. Give me a wave if that was clear enough.”  
Another wave from the animal was made.  
“See you in fifteen minutes.”

It was at this point that I was aware of a thumping sound coming from behind me. I turned around to find Judy, tapping her foot rapidly, sporting a very sour expression.  
“Uh, Judy? What’s up with you?”


	5. One Question

(Note to self: some animals have very sensitive hearing.)

"You guys know that your plan was stupid, right?"  
We were all waiting in the living area for our spy. Judy had walked in on me and Nick as our plan was in action and she hadn't appreciated our approach. In hindsight, yes, it was a stupid plan. We had no guarantee that the perp was actually going to show up.  
"Yes it was, Fluff," the fox retorted from the comfort of the couch. "But it's not like we could've called for backup and I doubt a bluff would've worked."  
"So you expect some total stranger to hold by the 'honour rule' and actually stop by?" Judy was absolutely livid at this point; her ears were as straight as nails.  
"We both know you would.”  
“I wouldn’t be in that situation in the first place!”  
I decided to step in:  
“Okay guys, just chill. Judy, just give it a few minutes.”  
“A few minutes for what, Sean?” She snapped. “For them to grab all their gear, waltz up to the door and knock?”  
And as if on cue, a soft knock was heard at the door. Judy’s ears fell, her face fell into disbelief.  
“Buh… Wuh…” She spluttered.  
“Hey Nick, I think she just broke,” I joked.  
He laughed.  
“Okay, you get the door; I’ll see that she’s fixed up for the interrogation.”  
As the fox led the bunny to the kitchenette, I marched on to the door. I was anxious to know who our spy was; it was hard to tell what kind of animal they were from the distance and the lack of light.  
Another knock came.  
“Hold your horses! I’m coming!”  
Opening the door, I found a stack of electronic equipment, topped with a clear dish: the parabola. Looking down, I saw it was on a small hand-pulled wagon, next to none other than our spy: an otter.  
“Um, hi.”

Of all the animals possible, I was not expecting this.  
“This is a joke right? Somebody set you up?”  
The mammal looked shocked:  
“What?!? You asked me to come here!” It exclaimed in a distinctly female voice.  
“Yeah, as if I’m going to buy that,” I said.  
“I assure you, I’m your mammal,” she persisted.  
She was dressed in a light blue shirt and black pants; hardly something a spy would wear, right? There was no way that this cute little creature was the perp, but then again I never would’ve imagined Judy as a cop either.  
“Okay, then. Prove it,” I challenged.  
“You like to sing in the shower.”  
“Yeah, right,” I chuckled. “Even if I was singing, you wouldn’t be able to hear it over the running water.”  
She waved a finger at me.  
“Ah ah ah. Not so fast. That is nothing but a movie myth,” she responded with confidence.  
Well that’s news to me; might as well play along, then.  
“Okay, then. What was I singing?” I asked with a sly grin.  
“I’m a little fuzzy on the lyrics,” she started. “But just let me in and we can ‘Let it Go’.”  
My smirk disappeared right there, I had sung that stupidly catchy song that morning.  
“Right. Okay. Please, come on in,” I said, defeated.  
“Thank you,” the otter replied, towing the equipment behind her.

Walking into the living area I found Nick and a recovered Judy waiting for us.  
“Please, take a seat,” the bunny said, showing a chair in the middle of the room.  
The otter complied and took the seat, while the rest of us sat down on the couch set across from her. Pulling out a carrot-shaped pen and a notepad, Judy took the lead in the interrogation:  
“First of all, name and occupation please.”  
“Mandy Lauter, theoretical physicst,” the otter said calmly.  
“Okay, how long have you been spying on us?”  
“I’m not spying!” Mandy defended.  
“Your equipment seems to prove otherwise,” Nick noted.  
“I know it looks that way, but I’m just keeping an eye on him,” she replied, pointing at me.  
“Why me?” I asked.  
“Why else?” The otter quipped. “You appeared out of nowhere during the TelePortal test.”  
“Wait, you were at the conference?” Judy questioned.  
“Of course I was,” the otter said matter-of-factly. “I’m one of Professor Wiggins’ assistants.”  
“Now I remember!” Nick suddenly exclaimed. “You pushed the button that made that blackout happen.”  
“Please, don’t remind me,” Mandy requested. It seemed like she was ashamed of it.  
“So you’ve been following us since yesterday’s events,” Judy continued. “The big question is: why?”  
“Oh that’s easy,” the otter replied. “Almost as soon as you left, the Professor asked me to follow you and make sure that he was alright.”  
“The professor asked you to follow us?” The bunny repeated.  
“Uh-huh,” Mandy responded with what looked like confidence.  
“Then I guess we’ll have to bring the questioning to the Professor,” Nick said.  
Judy nodded in approval.  
“Um, about that,” Mandy nervously added. “I’ve actually been trying to contact him since last night and I can’t reach him.”  
“What, no bars?” I joked.  
“No, he’s out of the office, even his secretary doesn’t know where he went this time.”  
“What do you mean by ‘this time’?” I pressed.  
“Sorry, I guess you don’t know,” the otter responded with a shrug. “But the Professor has an odd habit of leaving without telling anyone and without any way of contacting him either.”  
“Probably to get away from the bad press,” Nick added.  
Mandy shrugged.  
“Your guess is as good as mine. I mean, if I could get a hold of him, I’d be happy to-”  
Just then, a chipper electronic tune started to play. Mandy immediately started rifling through her pocket.  
“Sorry. That’s mine,” she nervously said while pulling out a phone. Her eyes widened as she looked at the screen.  
“What is it?” Judy asked hurriedly.  
“It’s the Professor,” the otter replied, showing us her phone screen. As she said, it was the professor calling; a profile picture of the pig overtop of the name Samuel Wiggins was being displayed.  
“Well what are you waiting for? Put it on speaker phone!” Judy impatiently ordered.  
Mandy set the phone on the coffee table and hit the appropriate setting. Almost immediately the Professor’s voice could be heard:  
“Mandy? Are you there?”  
“Right here, Professor. Where are you? I’ve been trying to call you since yesterday.”  
“No need to worry about that. I just needed to shake the journalists until they gave up on their hunt. Unfortunately for me, some of them were quite relentless. But never mind me, how is our guest? You did follow them out of the grounds, did you not?”  
“Yes sir, they got away from the Press with no problem. I managed to follow them to an apartment building where they’ve been staying since then.”  
“And has anything happened in the meantime?”  
Mandy looked to us for guidance. Glancing at Judy, I saw her shaking her head.  
“Uh, no sir,” the otter said hesitantly. “Everything’s been quiet.”  
“Good. Now then, I’ll be back in my office tomorrow. Establish contact with Mr. Drifner and instruct him to come by; we have some things to discuss.”  
“Yes sir. See you tomorrow, then.”  
“A good evening to you too, Mandy.”  
And the line cut. We all gave out a sigh of relief; the tension of the call was almost too much.  
“So I guess we’ll be stopping by his office tomorrow,” Nick announced.

 ----

We all stepped out of the minivan when we arrived on the campus of what was clearly a school.  
“Welcome to the Zootopia Institute of Technology,” Mandy declared as she led the way up the steps to the main building.  
“Wait, doesn’t that spell…” I started.  
“Yeah,” the otter admitted. “It spells ZIT. We had a big stink about it a few years ago when the new generation figured it out and made the school board the laughing stock of the city."  
She continued to lead us through the halls past classrooms and computer labs. Fortunately for us, we arrived while most of the classes were in session, so only a handful of animals crossed paths with us. We eventually made it to the faculty wing of the institute, where more animals wandered around, carrying briefcases and folders under hoof, claw, tail, and wing. Mandy expertly maneuvered through the halls to her own office.  
“You three stay here; I’ll go find the Professor. Okay?”  
“Sure thing, Mandy,” I said, leading the fox and bunny into the office.  
I don’t know what I was expecting; the office looked like any normal office: desk, filing cabinet, whiteboard. But now came the waiting, and we weren’t sure for how long either. Nick pulled up a chair and started tapping at his phone; Judy took another chair and headed to the whiteboard.  
“Hey Sean,” she called out. “Up for a game?”  
“What kind?”  
“How about Tic-Tac-Toe,” she offered, tossing me a marker.  
“Best out of three?” I challenged.  
“You’re on.”

 

“He’s just in here, Professor.”  
“Good, let’s just hope we can get this over with quickly.”  
The office door opened to reveal Professor Wiggins, with Mandy just behind him. Whatever they were talking about was quickly hushed as soon as they saw me and Judy.  
Not too long after our Tic-Tac-Toe matches had begun, Nick had fallen asleep watching videos on his phone. I thought that it would be funny to draw a moustache on his sleeping snout and Judy, who could barely contain her laughter, joined in and began to doodle carrots on his forehead. By the time Mandy and the Professor had arrived, the fox was now a moustachioed pirate with a cigar in his mouth and carrots on the brain.  
“Well!” The Professor exclaimed with a clap, waking up Nick. “If this isn’t a pleasant surprise!”  
“Oh, Professor Wiggins!” Judy shouted, tossing her marker away. “It’s good to see you again.”  
I couldn’t help but feel panic coming on, Nick may still be groggy from his nap, but Wiggins and Mandy clearly saw us pulling our prank.  
“And it’s good to see you three as well,” the pig replied.  
Looking to me, he gave me a wink; I sure hope that means what I think it means.

“So you figured out that Mandy was following you?” Wiggins finally asked.  
“Yes, Nick and Sean forced her out of hiding,” Judy replied.  
The Professor was leading us through the halls of the school, Mandy at his side.  
“Well I guess it was to be expected,” the pig sighed. “A mammal of science against mammals of the law, surely it was only a matter of time.”  
“The important thing is that no one got hurt,” Nick cut in. “So let’s get down to business. Why did you want to meet with Sean?”  
“Mr. Drifner is my guest, Officer Wilde. Surely, you can understand that I would care for his well-being. I distracted the journalists yesterday; today I wish to follow up on my questioning.”  
“About what?” I blurted out.  
The Professor stopped. We had arrived at a set of double-doors, above them hung a sign that read ‘Particle Physics Lab 01’. The pig turned to the three of us:  
“Through here lays the project that my assistants and I have been working on for the past year, the TelePortal,” he said while gesturing to the doors. “While we had run a multitude of simulations on the subject, none of them involved living creatures. Our initial test was to send a small piece of metal through one portal, in hopes that it would exit the second. But when we turned on the machine yesterday, the unexpected occurred. You appeared out of thin air.”  
Wiggins turned to the doors.  
“The reason I asked you here, Mr. Drifner, is because I am a mammal of science. I want to know why and how you appeared there yesterday; hopefully it will bring more insight into our project. So I ask you this: Will you help me in my endeavour?”  
I’m stunned. I don’t know how to answer to that. How can I help? I wasn’t even majoring in any form of science, let alone something that could help with portals.  
“Sir, I don’t know how I could help you.”  
“Mr. Drifner, no one has the answer to everything, but anyone can help find the answer to something. I just ask if you will help.”  
Silence filled the hallway as everyone but the Professor looked at me. Having decided, I managed a small smile:  
“I guess I’ll see what I can do.”  
“I’m glad that your onboard, now let’s see what’s in store for us today!” the pig declared as he pushed through the doors.

Beyond them was a large room. Rows of computers lined the walls while multiple tables with electronic equipment littered the floor-space. The only free area was in the middle; surrounded by a glass enclosure stood two similar looking machines: metal rings standing on end and hooked up to computers. Assistants could be found here and there, most likely working on some aspect of the project, but judging by the lack of enthusiasm, not much seemed to going on.  
The Professor led us to the two machines.  
“These two machines are the product of our project, The TelePortals,” he said.  
“Just to let you know, you might want to think of a better name before this goes to market,” I said nonchalantly.  
“I assure you, Mr. Drifner, that many of my assistants think the same.”  
Mandy gave a loud cough.  
“One question,” Nick suddenly said.  
I turned to the fox. He seemed to be staring intently at the TelePortal.  
“Who’s the punk who doodled on my face!”


	6. Spill It

The entire lab was laughing at Nick's expense. It was already hard not to, but with the cat out of the bag, the laughs rolled out non-stop.  
"Go on, laugh it up," the fox sarcastically told the crowd. "I guess you're happy with your revenge, Sean?"  
"Why would I want revenge?" I managed to ask between fits of laughter. "I just did this because I thought it would be fun."  
"Yeah, well you seem to have succeeded in spades kid. So what now, are you going to take a picture for posterity?"  
"I'm not that low, Nick," I answered, finally calming down my breathing.  
"Oh, boo!" Came a voice from behind me, a large flash following it.  
"Judy!" Nick exclaimed.  
I turned around to see that it was, evidently, Judy, holding up her phone. I gave her a look that just screamed 'seriously?'.  
"Oh come on, did you really think I was going to pass this up?" She said with a sly grin.  
"Judy, you better delete that," the fox said almost menacingly.  
"Oh don't worry, I wasn't planning on uploading it to Furbook, anyway."  
"You better not.”  
"I was actually thinking of showing it to Clawhauser later."  
"THAT'S EVEN WORSE!" Nick shouted as he tried to reach for Judy's phone.

For about a minute, she managed to dodge his advances until she pulled a sidestep and proceeded to pin him to the floor.  
"How about we make a deal?" Judy offered as she stood on top of him.  
Nick seemed to mutter something to himself before responding:  
"What exactly do you have in mind?"  
"I'll delete the photo in forty-eight hours, if you agree to not pull any revenge schemes on Sean."  
"I'll only agree if you promise not to show it to Clawhauser in the meantime," the fox said with a smile.  
Judy made a pose, obviously faking hard thought.  
"You drive a hard bargain, Wilde. But I’ll agree to that condition,” she answered, stepping off of Nick.  
“Then it’s a deal,” he agreed, offering his paw.  
“Good,” the bunny replied, shaking it. “Now let’s get you cleaned up.”  
“Please. I’ve had enough of the peanut gallery.”  
As the duo headed for the door, Judy called out to the rest of us:  
“We’ll be back in a bit. Think you can sit tight, Sean?”  
“I think I’m in good hands,” I replied, waving them off. “You have fun with Captain Carrots.”  
“I heard that!” Nick retorted from the hallway.

“What a wonderful pair those two are,” the Professor commented. “Now Sean, once again, I’m very glad that you’ve agreed to help us in our endeavor. Sadly, I must leave you in Mandy’s paws; I have a business meeting that I must attend. You don’t mind, do you Mandy?”  
“No problem here, Professor,” the otter happily chirped.  
“Splendid! Have a good day you two,” the pig chanted as he left the lab.  
As soon as the professor was no longer visible, Mandy seemed to change her pace:  
“Alright, everyone! Break is over, back to your posts! Ronda, I’m going to need the analysis from our misfire the other day.”  
“On it, Mandy.”  
“Hank, I’d like an update on the project’s current status in document form.”  
“Sure thing.”  
“And Anthony, two cups of coffee in my office.”  
“Fine.”  
She was firing orders left and right in succession it was almost too hard to keep up.  
“Um, Mandy?” I hesitantly asked.  
“Yes?” She asked back as she whirled around to face me.  
“I thought the Professor was in charge,” I said, all confused.  
“Nope, far from it,” she laughed. “He’s just funding the project as per our agreement. I’m the boss here.”  
Her words just seemed to drip with confidence, it was almost palpable.  
“And she’s a real pain in the tail sometimes,” a rhino said as it walked up to us.  
She handed Mandy a folder:  
“Here’s that analysis you asked for.”  
“Thanks Ronda, and I try not to be. You guys just seem to need a little motivation now and then.”  
“Right, constantly talking our ears off is real motivation, Boss,” a Hyena remarked as he passed by me. “Here’s the update.”  
“Thank you, Hank,” the otter replied as she received another folder. “Okay Sean, follow me.”

Mandy led the way out of the lab, presumably towards her office, where she had ordered Anthony to send coffee.  
“Now that you’re going to be helping us in our project, it’s my job to get you up to speed with what’s happening. So our first order of business is teaching you how the TelePortal is supposed to work. At least in theory.”  
As we approached her office, an armadillo stepped through the doorway.  
“Oh! Mandy!” He exclaimed in surprise. “I got you your two coffees, they’re on the desk.”  
“Thanks Anthony. You can get back to the lab now; I think John might need help with some coding adjustments.”  
“Sure thing,” he called as he started jogging back towards the lab.  
“All right,” Mandy started as we stepped into her office. “So you know that the TelePortal has two machines. They’re meant to act as gateways for each other…”

 ----

“…And so, as long as the resonance is stabilized, the TelePortal will be safe to walk through. Any questions?”  
I think my head might explode. That, or possibly melt. Even with her lengthy explanation, Mandy’s TelePortal theory was very hard to understand properly. I think the closest thing I could compare it too would be the Gates from that one sci-fi TV series. And even then, I hadn’t watched that show all that much.  
“I think I’ll look through the documents if I need a refresher,” I replied dryly.  
Mandy gave out a hard sigh and dropped down from her chair.  
"Come with me, Sean," she said as she headed for the door. "You obviously need to get some things off your mind."  
Following her out of the office, she led me through the halls towards the courtyard. As we approached the tree that stood in the middle of the grounds, Mandy stopped.  
"Go on, spill it," the otter demanded.  
"Look, Mandy, I'm perfectly fine. I've got nothing to tell you."  
"Really?" She asked as she turned to face me. "'Cause your body language tells a completely different story. You may be able to fool Nick and Judy, but you can't fool a sea otter like me."  
"Really? That's a load of bull," I defended. "I'm telling you, I'm okay. So let's just move on."  
I walked past her, infuriated that she was accusing me of hiding anything. I was alright, I didn't need anyone to point out the opposite.  
"You're insecure," Mandy said out of nowhere.  
I stopped in my tracks.  
"What?" I softly asked as I turned around.  
The otter had her back to me.  
"You're insecure," she repeated as she faced me. "You lack confidence, and you're scared of what others might think of you."  
I dropped down onto the grass; she was right. I was fooling everyone into thinking that I was okay, but it was all just a lie. Judy almost found out the first night, and I had managed to worm my way out of it. But here was Mandy, who could see through me like a pane of glass. The entire event I was going through was overwhelming; I’m surprised I even managed to last two and a half days without freaking out, barring my arrival of course. I could feel tears starting to well up as I thought back on everything that was going on.  
“And right now, you need to let it all out,” she calmly told me as she gave me as best of a hug that she could.  
And I did. As tears ran down my face, I howled in grief at my fate. Stuck in this bizarre world full of talking animals, an oddity with nowhere to go.

 

I don’t know how much time passed during my wailing, but it felt good to just let it out. Mandy and I laid there on the grass afterwards, passing the time talking.  
“So how did you figure me out?” I asked. “That shtick with the body language wasn’t true, right?”  
“Eh, half-true,” she admitted. “Remember, I did spend two days tailing you guys. That was plenty of time to find out that something was wrong.”  
“And the other half?”  
“My species isn’t known for being all that vocal-”  
“I’m guessing you’re the exception?” I cut in.  
She looked at me with a slightly annoyed look.  
“Yes,” the otter bluntly said. “Anyway… So with parents like mine, I kind of learned to read other mammals and what they really wanted to say.”  
“So everyone in the lab being butt-hurt about your constant yammering?” I pried.  
“You know that’s getting real annoying,” Mandy pointed out. “But yeah, they don’t mind it at all.”

 

“Hey Mandy, can I ask you a favor?” I asked as we headed back to her office.  
“Depends…”  
“Can you not tell Nick and Judy about this?”  
“Why not? It’s kind of a big deal, if you ask me.”  
“I don’t think I can handle Judy smothering me and I’m not sure I can trust Nick with something like this. So can we keep this between us?”  
“I’ll think about it,” the otter slyly responded as she headed into the room.

We were greeted by Nick and Judy who were busy with a game of hangman on the whiteboard. Nick was standing next to the board with his usual sly grin, marker in his paw.  
“Come on Carrots, I know you can get this,” he teased Judy.  
The bunny was sitting on a chair staring at the board, obviously trying to figure out the puzzle. From the looks of it though, she wasn’t doing so well. Of the twelve possible letters she had only found three: an A and two Is. The hint was ‘Darts’ of all things and from the amount of guesses she had done it looked as if she had already lost, the hangman was already complete.  
“G!” Judy spontaneously shouted.  
“Ooh, too bad,” The fox responded as he wrote down the letter next to the discarded guesses.  
He then moved on to the hangman and drew an elongated ear on the top of the head; of course, they were playing hangbunny.  
“Better get your act in gear if you want to save your non-descript sibling, Carrots,” He mused.  
“Sweet cheese and crackers, Nick, don’t make this any more tense.”  
“Then how about you actually get a letter in?”  
“Fine, how about D?”  
Nick’s smile grew so wide it was borderline scary.  
“That’s the perfect letter. You know why, Carrots?” He asked.  
“Why?” Judy asked with a hint of worry.  
“Because it’s the very first letter…”  
He drew a second ear on the hangbunny.  
“…In ‘Dumb Bunny’.”  
“Sly fox,” she pouted.  
“And I’m so glad that you didn’t ask our audience for any help either,” he said gesturing to me and Mandy as we were trying to contain our laughter.  
The bunny whirled around in her seat and looked at us, dumbstruck.  
“Are you kidding me?”  
“In my defense, I’m not that good at word puzzles,” I admitted while trying to keep a straight face.

 

“So what’s next for today’s list of things to do?” I asked Judy as we were headed towards the parking lot of the Institute.  
“Well, Nick and I got to thinking that taxis were going to get expensive sooner or later,” she started. “So we thought it might be a good idea to get you a license that valid in Zootopia.”  
I guess that makes sense. I knew how to drive, I had my own license from back home, but it probably wouldn’t be accepted if I was ever pulled over, here.  
“But what about the paperwork? I still don’t technically exist, remember?”  
“Don’t worry about it,” Nick chimed. “I know a guy at the DMV; he can get you, at least, a learner’s permit in no time.”  
“And once the documents are filed in you can apply for a full license,” the bunny concluded.  
“Then I guess there’s nothing to lose,” I said out loud.  
Judy gave a slight look to Nick.  
“Right,” she slowly answered. “You know what? I’ll leave it to you Nick, since you know your guy so well. I would only slow things down anyway. Bye!”  
And she ran off.  
“What’s up with her?” I asked the fox.  
“No idea,” he answered evasively. “Come on. The DMV isn’t too far from here, actually.”  
As we left the grounds of the Institute, I waved back at Mandy who was standing just at the top of the steps. She gave a very welcome wave back.


	7. Networking

(Note to self: Never share jokes at the DMV.)

 

I couldn’t help but let out a yawn as I walked into Mandy’s office.  
“Long night?” She asked without looking up from her computer.  
“More or less,” I said as I dropped down onto a chair. “Nick took me to the DMV to get a valid license.”  
“Now I understand why Judy left you two in such a hurry, yesterday,” the otter chuckled.  
“Yeah… Anyway, you wanted me here for what, again?”  
Mandy had called me over to the institute earlier that morning, saying that it was really important for the project. It wasn’t that far of a walk from my apartment building, but it still took the better part of an hour to get here.

The otter took out a folder and laid out its contents on her desk. Many of the papers showed diagrams and graphs in various shapes and sizes, while a couple were bogged with text from top to bottom.  
“These are the results of the TelePortal test that happened on the day that you arrived,” she explained. “And I want to cross-reference the data I have with your first-hand experience.”  
“Okay, but I’ve already told you that I’m not that much of academic,” I replied as I picked up one of the graphs showing two large spikes on it.  
“Just tell me what happened before you arrived here, in as much detail as you can,” Mandy pressed.  
I laid down the graph and started retelling as best as I could the events that led to me arriving in Zootopia. I told her of being alone in my apartment and wanting to order some pizza. I explained how there was a sudden blackout when I pressed the call button and how my phone glowed more and more brightly until I passed out.

“Hmm, interesting,” the otter muttered. “Do you remember what time it was when you tried to call the pizzeria?”  
That was a hard question to answer, given that it was a seemingly quite random one.  
“I think it was around five-thirty PM?” I guessed, not really sure if I was correct in that assumption.  
“Give me your phone,” she ordered with her paw help out.  
I complied, fishing it out of my pocket and handing it to her.  
“Now, you haven’t adjusted the clock since you came here, right?” she asked as she examined the device.  
“No, I didn’t think it needed any adjusting,” I admitted.  
Mandy pulled out her own phone and set them both on the desk. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary for any of them, they both showed the time to be nine-forty-eight AM. Then Mandy’s phone updated to show nine-forty-nine, while mine continued to show the old time. It took nearly twenty whole seconds before my phone updated itself.  
“Very, interesting,” the otter mused.  
“What’s so interesting about it?” I asked. “My phone is twenty seconds behind, so what?”  
“Sean, this is important!” She exclaimed. “If your phone is anything like mine, it should have sync up with the internet’s time by now.”  
“Yeah, about that,” I mentioned as I took my phone back. “I haven’t exactly been able to use my phone for much else than take photos and listen to music. Remember how you had to call my apartment to reach me?”  
“So your phone is currently disconnected from the entire network,” she concluded.  
“That would be my guess,” I replied sarcastically.  
“Then this is perfect!” She shouted excitedly, standing up in her chair. “Here, take a look at this graph.”  
She handed me the very same one I had looked at earlier, with its two sharp spikes on each end of the page.  
“What am I looking at?” I asked.  
“This is the measured energy levels that the TelePortal was radiating during the test,” Mandy explained. “See how it rises quickly and then seems to show no response for eighteen seconds before making another spike?”  
“Okay, but does this have to do with my phone?”  
“Look at the time-table,” she hinted.

I took a look at the bottom of the page, where the timeline of the test could be seen. According to the graph, the energy levels started to rise forty-five seconds after five-thirty-two PM. It then showed the levels immediately dropping off to zero at five-thirty-three, and shooting back up eighteen seconds later before dropping again. I still couldn’t understand what the connection was.  
“Look, Mandy, I’m not that great at this sort of thing,” I admitted. “What’s going on?”  
She sat back down in her chair with the widest smile I had seen on her yet.  
“I think your phone reacted to the TelePortal’s resonance frequency and transported you here in those eighteen seconds,” she said.  
I gave her a blank look.  
“It what?”  
“I said your phone hijacked the TelePortal’s energy signature and created its own portal to send you here,” she repeated.  
“Oh, I thought you were just talking nonsense,” I deadpanned.  
“I’m serious, Sean,” she laughed. “You’re phone might be a very important component to solving this mystery. So do you think you can leave it with me?”  
“As if! It has all of my photos and songs!” I defended.  
“Sean, think about it!” the otter retaliated. “You said it yourself: that phone is useless except for listening to music and taking photos. But now it could be a key component to the project’s success. So please, could you leave it here?”  
I hate to admit it, but she was right. I looked down at my phone; I didn’t have much use for it now, but I was sure going to miss my songs.  
“Tell you what,” Mandy suddenly said. “I’ll make sure to replace your phone with one that will actually connect to the network, with all of your songs and photos intact.”  
I looked to her to see if she was joking, but her expression didn’t have any feeling of malice at all. In fact, her blue eyes seemed to be showing sympathy.  
“Okay,” I caved. “Here you go.”  
I handed her my phone. She made sure to place it in a drawer of her desk.  
“I’ll take care of the replacement once I’m done for the day,” she said. “So you can expect a new one by tomorrow.”  
“Thanks Mandy.”  
“Hey, it’s what friends are for.”  
“Just make sure it’s not neon coloured,” I joked.

A knock on the door had us turn our attention away from the rest of the documents.  
“Hello? Anyone here?” A familiar voice called as the door swung open.  
“Hey Nick,” I answered as the fox stood in the doorway. “What’s up?”  
“You sir, are not easy to find,” he remarked.  
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” I said with a grin.  
“Whatever kid,” he deflected. “Remember how you said you needed some cash after we left the DMV?”  
“What about it?”  
“Well, I know a guy who’s open to the idea of a business partnership with you,” Nick announced. “I spoke with him last night and he said he’ll take you on a ‘trial run’.”  
“That’s great!” I exclaimed as I leapt from my chair. “When do I start?”  
“This afternoon, actually,” he said. “Don’t worry though, it’s nothing formal. So you can go as is.”  
It sounded a bit too good to be true for Nick to get me a job. I had only made a passing remark about money as we had left the DMV; I didn’t think he was going to act on it. At least not that fast. Maybe he wasn’t so bad of a friend after all.  
“Alright, where am I meeting him?” I asked excitedly.  
“He said that he would be setting up shop outside the stadium; you just need to look for an orange van.”  
“I guess I’d better get going if I want to be there on time,” I thought aloud as I started to leave the office.  
“Uh, Sean? You don’t have to-”  
“No Mandy, I do have to do this,” I interrupted her. “I don’t have any valid money, so I need a job. Plus, I’d like to pay you back for the phone tomorrow.”  
I waved her goodbye as I left the office with Nick.  
“She’s getting you a new phone?” The fox asked.  
“Mine doesn’t work here,” I told him. “And apparently, it’s part of why I’m here in the first place, so she wants to examine it. So she offered to replace my phone with a new one.”  
“I think she likes you,” he teased.  
“No way, we’re just friends.”

 

The entrance to the stadium parking lot was marked with an impressively large sign. It read: 

Fauna Stadium,  
Gazelle in concert,  
Tonite @ 7PM

I guess I would be helping out Nick’s friend with something having to do with the concert then. As I walked passed the landmark, I scanned the area for the van that Nick had mentioned. It was harder than I first thought it would be; there where stalls everywhere selling anything and everything having to do with Gazelle. I’m guessing they were very popular in order to have this many kinds of merchandise. They had T-Shirts and mugs, stuffed animals I could only guess was Gazelle herself; the shimmering skirt kind of hinted at a female gender.

I spent at least ten minutes wandering the various booths before finding the orange van I was looking for, it was parked at the very edge of the “market”. A small booth was set up right next to it, where a little cream-coloured fox with big ears was sitting behind a table, surrounded by black T-Shirts.  
“Hey there, little guy,” I said, trying to get the fox’s attention. “I’m looking for a friend of Nick’s; I was told to look for an orange van?”  
The small fox gave me a very stern look:  
“You’re lucky Nick owes me a favor for this,” He said in a very out of place deep voice. “Else I woulda chewed your face off.”  
“Wait, you’re Nick’s friend?” I asked, still surprised by the baritone.  
“You got a problem with that?” He retaliated, propping himself up on the table.  
“Nope, not at all,” I answered quickly.  
“Good. Name’s Finnick,” he introduced himself, holding out a paw. “You?”  
“Sean,” I simply replied as I shook it.  
“Okay here’s the gig,” Finnick started. “Tonight, Gazelle’s got a concert goin’ on. So we’re here selling some merch to make a small profit.”  
I looked around at the T-Shirts that he had hanged around the booth. Not a single one had any sort of resemblance to Gazelle’s other T-Shirts that I had passed by. In fact, they were all adorned with orange fireballs with a bird cut-out.  
“I hate to say this Finnick, but I think you got jipped on the Tees. These don’t look like Gazelle merchandise.”  
“That’s because they aren’t, you dumbass,” he pointed out.  
“Then why are you selling them here?”  
“Gazelle has an opening act before her show starts,” the fox explained. “Some small-time band going by Phoenix.”  
“And you’re selling their merchandise?”  
“Not theirs,” he scoffed. “I made these myself, and selling them just under the price of their official merchandise.”  
“Woah, wait, isn’t that illegal? Won’t you get sued for something like this?”  
“See kid, the thing with small-time bands is that they don’t got the money to sue ya. Even if they catch you.”  
“It’s still wrong.”  
“Hey, I’m just out to make some cash,” he defended. “If you wanna bail, be my guest, but I’m givin’ you the opportunity to make a quick pile of dough.”

 

I hate myself right now. I’m actually selling merchandise for a band that won’t see a penny in profit. After about two hours of waiting, the crowd of the stadium market got to a point where it spilled past our booth and further down into the parking lot. Finnick and I sold a lot of shirts in no time at all; apparently Phoenix has quite the following for being a “small-time band”.  
“Hmm, looks like we’re getting’ low,” Finnick said as he emptied yet another box of tees. “Think you can hold the fort while I get some more?”  
“Uh, yeah, I guess,” I said hesitantly.  
“Sweet, I’ll take some cash to pay the printer,” he told me as he opened up the strongbox. “If I don’t come back you can keep the rest. Ciao.”  
The fox ran out of the booth and sped off in the van, leaving me and the last boxes of T-Shirts to sell.  
“Hey buddy!” Someone called.  
The voice brought my attention back to the front of the booth. It was a gray wolf.  
“How can I help you, today, sir? We have official Phoenix T-Shirts for sale, celebrating their opening act for Gazelle tonight,” I recited my pitch to the potential customer.  
“I’d like to try one on for size, please. A Large will probably do.”  
“Coming right up,” I said as I fished for his shirt.  
It only took a moment to find a Large; I fortunately still had a couple of boxes of that size left over.  
“Here you go, sir,” I chirped as I handed him the shirt.

I heard a small click and felt the touch of metal on my wrists.  
“Officer Wolford, ZPD, you’re under arrest for selling illegal goods,” the wolf bluntly announced as he showed a badge.  
“What?”  
“We heard that some shady mammal was selling unofficial merchandise without the consent of the owners,” Wolford explained. “We even have proof that the merchandise you’re selling doesn’t match the official ones, despite you claiming to sell ‘official’ merchandise.”  
“But I-”  
“You have the right to remain silent,” the wolf said as he led me out of the booth. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand these rights? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak with me?”  
During his speech, the officer had led me to a ZPD cruiser and shown me into the back seat. Calling myself speechless would be an understatement, I could barely understand what was going on. I just got busted for selling T-Shirts that I didn’t make and Finnick got away scot-free. Even worse, they don’t even now Finnick was involved.  
“Hey. You got anything to say for yourself, back there,” Wolford prodded as he took a seat up front.  
“Yeah,” I said. “Tell Nick I hate his guts.”


	8. Keep Talking

“Dispatch, this is officers Wolford and Fangmeyer. We’re 10-15, heading back to HQ.”  
“This is Dispatch, 10-4 on the 10-15.”  
I’m not sure what a ‘10-15’ is, but now I know that we’re going to some station. This was going to be a great story to tell Judy. ‘I got busted selling shirts!’ Yeah, that’s going to end well.  
“When you say Nick, do you mean Officer Wilde?” The white wolf in the driver’s seat asked.  
“Yeah,” I responded from the back seat of the cruiser.  
“How do you know him?” Wolford, the gray wolf, asked. “Old acquaintance?”  
“No, I just met him three days ago,” I said in a depressed tone.  
“Wow,” the white wolf laughed. “He must have done something serious for you to hate him that fast! What did he do?”  
“He got me that job selling T-Shirts, back there,” I told him.  
“Hold up,” Wolford cut in. “Are you saying that was Wilde’s operation?”  
“I didn’t say that!” I defended. “Nick knew a guy, who agreed to let me work with him. He ran off with at least half of the money, just before you showed up and cuffed me!”  
“And would you care to share who this co-worker of yours is?” The wolf pressed.  
I wanted to give him Finnick’s name, but I couldn’t help but feel that it wouldn’t be right. The fox went to get more shirts and he left me half of the cash; he trusted me with half the cash. I jumped on this gig knowing the consequences; I deserved this, even if I wouldn’t see any of the money afterwards.  
“No,” I said flatly.  
“Well at least you can say you’re not a rat,” Wolford mumbled.

It didn’t take long to arrive at our destination, the familiar Precinct 1 where Nick and Judy had brought me the other day. And it wasn’t the only familiar sight.  
“Sean? What are you doing here? And why are you with Wolford and Fangmeyer?” Clawhauser exclaimed as he saw me enter the lobby with my escort.  
“Hey, Ben. Remember how I said that I hoped to not come back in cuffs?” I said light-heartedly. “Well…”  
I showed him my cuffed hands.  
“Oh. My. Goodness. Judy is going to flip when she hears this,” the cheetah said almost excitedly.  
“What does Hopps have to do with this?” Fangmeyer asked.  
“Well, technically, Sean here is Hopps’ and Wilde’s responsibility,” Clawhauser explained.  
“Well they aren’t doing that great of a job,” Wolford cut in. “I caught him selling unlicensed items while he put them off as being official merchandise.”  
“Oh, well. Then I guess we’ll have to put him in the holding cell,” the cheetah replied. “I’ll contact Hopps and Wilde while you guys get him processed.”

 

“Um, hey, do I get a phone call or something?” I asked the officer guarding the cell I was in.  
“Depends on who you plan on calling,” the ram replied.  
“And that extends to what exactly?”  
“Friends, family, lawyers, doctors,” he listed off his hooves. “Pretty much anyone who isn’t shady, if you ask me.”  
“So calling a friend is fine?”  
“Like I said, if they’re not shady, fair game in my book. Did you have anyone in mind?” he said as he grabbed the phone off his desk and brought it closer to the cell.  
Now there’s a question I hadn’t thought to ask myself. Who was I going to call? Family was definitely out, and Nick and Judy were already on their way as far as I knew. Which really only left me one option, but it also came with its own problem.  
“Would you mind looking up a phone number for me?” I asked.  
“You know you’re pushing your luck right now, right?” the guard said with a frown.  
“Hey, it’s not my fault that I keep most of my numbers in my phone and not in my head,” I defended.  
“You didn’t even have a phone on you when you got here,” he flatly responded.  
“I’m waiting on a replacement,” I told him.  
“Fine,” the ram crumbled.  
He stationed himself at the computer on his desk.  
“What’s the name?”  
“Mandy Lauter,” I quickly said.  
The guard looked at me with a rather blank look.  
“You know, there are better ways of getting a girl’s number,” he deadpanned.  
I facepalmed at the comment.

“Hello, Mandy here.”  
“Mandy! It’s Sean,” I replied. “How’re you doing?”  
“Sean? How did you get my number? No wait, how are you calling me in the first place?” The otter bombarded me.  
“Well, interesting story really,” I tried to deflect. “You know that job that Nick got me?”  
“Yeah…”  
“Well it turned out that the job wasn’t exactly the most legal of jobs that it could have been.”  
“Uh-huh…”  
“And now I’m in jail,” I finished quickly.  
“YOU’RE WHAT!?!” She shouted.  
Ow. I knew that she was vocal; I didn’t think she was that vocal.  
“I got busted selling T-Shirts while passing them off as official merchandise,” I admitted.  
“Sean…” She sounded disappointed.  
“Look, I know it was wrong to do,” I admitted. “But like I said earlier, I had to. I needed the money, Mandy.”  
“Which is why I was trying to talk you out of it, before you took off,” Mandy replied.  
“Why would you want to talk me out of a job?” I questioned.  
“Well, you know how you’re part of the project now?” She started. “That also implies that you have a right to part of the funding.”  
My mind went blank as Mandy finished that statement. I was already entitled to some money just for participating in the project?  
“Hello?”  
“Mandy…”  
“Yes?”  
“Next time something that important comes up, don’t stop talking.”

 

“You’re free to go, Mr. Drifner,” the guard said as he opened the cell door. “Although I wouldn’t blame you, if you wanted to stay the night.”  
“Why’s that?” I asked as he locked the door behind me.  
“’Cause Hopps is here to pick you up,” he whispered.  
Even though I was fully expecting it, it was still a scary thought. As I left the holding area I was greeted by a very sour looking bunny, her foot thumping away as I approached her.  
“Hey Judy,” I greeted with the widest smile I could make. “Have a good day?”  
The thumping stopped, but her expression hardly changed.  
“Oh, I was having a wonderful time!” She shouted. “Until I got a phone call from Clawhauser saying that you got thrown in jail! What were you thinking, selling illegal items? You’re lucky you’re not being filed with any charges this time!”  
“Hey! You want to blame someone? Blame Nick!” I retaliated. “He’s the one who set up this job for me! He probably knew full well how shady this was going to be!”  
“AHEM!”  
Judy was just about to make another comment before we were interrupted. Apparently, our shouting match had acquired a small audience of ZPD employees, most notably Bogo.  
“Office,” he ordered in a single word.

“I’m quite surprised, Mr. Drifner. Not even three days in the city and already you managed to get yourself thrown in jail.”  
I really had nothing to say against that fact. Judy and I were sitting in front the chief’s desk, while the buffalo eyed me with a very menacing glare.  
“I thought that you would have been capable of staying in line with the law, given your circumstances,” Bogo continued. “But it seems that even in the custody of two officers, you managed to break it. But is it a matter of your ability…” He shifted his gaze to Judy. “…Or their incompetence?”  
“Sir, I assure you, Judy had nothing to do with this,” I tried defending her. “She didn’t even know I was doing this kind of thing until Cawhauser called her. If you want someone involved, ask Nick.”  
Bogo looked at me again with a blank stare.  
“As much as I’d love to suspend that Fox, you have no proof to your claim,” the buffalo snorted. “You just be glad that your documents haven’t been filed yet, or you would be getting more than a warning.”  
Bogo turned once again to Judy.  
“Obviously, this city is too big for just you and Wilde to keep an eye on Mr. Drifner. But I can’t have any more bodies on this situation. So unless you have a better idea, he’ll have to stay on house arrest until his papers come in.”  
I secretly prayed for Judy to come up with something brilliant, I don’t think I could handle being cooped up in that penthouse apartment for months on end.  
“Road trip?” The bunny suddenly said.  
“I beg your pardon?” The buffalo asked, looking just as confused as I was.  
“What if Nick and I took Sean on a road trip for a bit? We’d be with him the entire way, so there’s little-to-no possibility of any shady business happening,” she tried pitching the idea with a less-than-convincing grin.  
A road trip? That’s the best she could come up with? I mean, it’s not like I had a better idea, but it still sounded lame.  
“I guess that would be feasible,” Bogo considered. “However, this would count as vacation time on your part.”  
This can’t be working.  
“I don’t mind that at all, sir,” Judy readily answered.  
“Good. Then I hope you have a nice trip. And I hope we don’t meet like this again, Mr. Drifner,” he threatened.  
“Yes, sir.”  
I can’t believe that worked.

“So, a road trip.”  
“Yep, and hopefully you won’t get into any trouble while we’re on it.”  
As we were about to leave the lobby, Clawhauser flagged us down.  
“Hey, you two! That was fast,” he exclaimed. “I was sure you were going to stay the night with all of the paperwork that needs to be done.”  
“Oh, there isn’t any paperwork,” Judy explained. “Sean got off clean, this time.”  
“You are one lucky duck,” the cheetah giggled. “Oh, and I overheard you two earlier in the hall-”  
“Were we really that loud?” I asked.  
“I wouldn’t be surprised if the coroner’s guests had woken up,” he joked. “What with the shouting you guys did. So what’s this about blaming Nick?”  
I was about to answer when Judy tugged on my sleeve. I looked down to see her motioning me to get closer.  
“What is it?” I whispered.  
“Clawhauser’s the biggest rumor mill in the precinct, so be careful of what you say to him,” the bunny warned.  
“Look, its Nick’s fault I got into that mess, I’m standing by that. And I’m not sure I like you taking his side without thinking about it.”  
“I’m not taking his side!” She defended. “But you should know that even if it is his fault, you’re not entirely in the clear either.”  
“I never said I wasn’t! I’m just saying Nick had a part in it.”  
“I’m glad that you own up to that then,” she said with a smile. “Hey Ben! Before we leave, I have something I’ve been meaning to show you.”  
“What is it?” The cheetah asked as he leaned over the desk to see Judy.  
“Check your phone,” she responded as she made a few taps on her own.  
Clawhauser dug out a smartphone from his drawer and started tapping away as he rummaged through a box of donuts.  
“Okay, what am I looking for?”  
“Just wait for it,” the bunny replied. “And done.”  
A small chime came from Clawhauser’s phone. He chewed on his donut as he made a few more taps and swipes on it. Suddenly he stopped, and the pastry dropped from mouth as he started laughing.  
“Have a good night Ben!” Judy chimed as she started to leave.  
I felt a bit left out on the engagement that just happened.  
“What was that about?” I asked her.  
“Remember that photo I took yesterday?” She hinted.  
“You mean the one you said you weren’t going to show to Clawhauser?” I questioned.  
“I went and sent it to him,” she said flatly.  
“I thought you made a deal with Nick?”  
“And he broke that deal when he sent you on that job,” Judy replied.  
“So I’m guessing we’ll be dealing with an unhappy fox tomorrow?”  
“Oh, we’ll be fine. If anything, it’ll convince him to go on the trip with us.”


	9. Plus One

I was packing up a suitcase when I heard a knock on my door. It seemed a bit early for Judy to come and pick me up; had she already managed to rent a vehicle for the road trip?  
Another furious knocking came from the door.  
"I'm coming!" I shouted.  
I opened it up to find Mandy, of all animals.  
"Mandy," I said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
"I thought I'd drop by and say hi," the otter responded as she walked in. "And maybe give you this."  
She turned around and handed me a small white box that she had been hiding behind her back.  
"Is this?" I started as I took the box.  
"Your new phone," she finished.

I set myself up on the sofa before opening up the box, Mandy sitting right next to me. Inside was a smartphone, it's screen pristine and shiny, the casing a matte plastic.  
"I thought I said no neon colours," I pointed out as I picked up the bright orange phone.  
"Yeah, well I wasn't exactly the happiest otter when you called me from jail," she replied with obvious sarcasm. "So I figured this ought to teach you a lesson."  
"Don't worry, lesson learned," I replied as I turned on the phone. "Fortunately, orange is my favourite colour."  
"Oh is it now?" Mandy questioned.  
"It is!" I defended. "Although a certain fox is making me regret my choice."  
The otter left the sofa with a soft smile and walked to the window. I took the time to scroll through the various applications on my new phone. I found that Mandy had kept her promise, having transfered all of my photos and music tracks beforehand. I couldn't help but smile at that fact. I looked over in her direction, she was gazing at the scenery below; a perfect opportunity.  
"Hey Mandy," I called, raising my phone.  
"Hm?" She sounded, turning in my direction.  
And with a bright flash, I took the photo.  
"Hey!" The otter shouted as she rubbed her eyes. "What was that for?"  
"I wanted something to remember the moment," I replied.

"So, are you going somewhere?" Mandy inquired as she noticed my half-packed suitcase.  
"Yeah, road trip," I answered as I went back to grabbing and folding clothes.  
She gave me a look with a cocked head that just screamed the unasked question.  
"It was Judy's idea," I admitted. "After yesterday's fiasco, Bogo practically chewed her a new one. And even threatened to have her and Nick relieved of their job of safeguarding me. So Judy got the idea of a road trip, stating that I would be watched over pretty much twenty-four/seven. And the chief bought it."  
"Wow," the otter simply said. "I guess that means you won't be dropping by the lab much, then."  
"To be completely honest, Mandy," I started as I pushed my suitcase closed. "I don't know how often I would have been coming over anyway. I've already told you everything I know and you have my phone which resonated with the TelePortal or something. You guys don't really need me anymore."  
Having finally forced my suitcase closed, I looked over to the usually talkative otter. She was very still, an almost shocked look was on her face.  
"Hey, Mandy, you okay?" I asked, snapping my fingers to bring her back from wherever she was.  
"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine," she answered while shaking her head. "So... Have you guys figured out transportation?"  
"Judy said she going to take care of it actually," I replied as another series of knocks came from the door. "And that must be her."

Sure enough, it was Judy at the door, though she looked a bit worse for wear. Her ears were drooping like the other night; something was up.  
"Judy? What happened?" I asked as led her inside. "How did the car rental search go?"  
"I'm afraid we'll have to postpone the trip for a bit, Sean," she somberly answered. "The earliest we can get a big enough vehicle is two days from now."  
"You're kidding!"  
"Unfortunately..." The bunny trailed off as she hopped onto the sofa.  
This sucked, even if it was just two days, that meant two days trapped in this apartment. I think I would die of boredom before then.  
"Um, maybe I could help?"  
Judy and I looked over to Mandy who had just walked into the living area.  
"Mandy?!" The bunny exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?"  
"Oh, uh, I came to deliver Sean his new phone," the otter replied, sounding a bit embarrassed. "And then he told me about your plans for a road trip. And then I overheard you saying you were having some trouble finding a car. So I figured I could help you guys out a bit?"  
"What?" Judy and I said in unison.  
"Did you already forget about my van that everyone fits in?" Mandy asked rhetorically.  
"Sweet cheese and crackers, you're right," the bunny said as she hid her face in her paws.  
"Now, I suppose I could let you guys borrow it," the otter started. "But only on one condition."  
"Let's hear it, I'm all ears," I said, hoping it wasn't going to be sonething ridiculous.  
"I get to come with," Mandy simply said with a sly grin.

Judy and I were silent for a few moments.  
"That's it?" Judy asked.  
"That's it," the otter responded. "Besides, I've been thinking of taking a break from the lab anyway, and it would be nice to get to know you guys a bit more."  
"Oh, Mandy, that's so nice of you!" The bunny exclaimed as she jumped off the sofa and gave the otter a hug. "You'll be more than welcome to join us, plus it'll nice having another girl around to talk to."  
"Well I'm glad that I can help," Mandy replied. "I'll just need some help taking out my equipment."

 

The back of Mandy's blue van was jam packed with electronic devices and parts; it was surprising that the suspension wasn't worn out.  
"Would you mind if I stored these in your apartment, Sean?" Mandy asked.  
"I don't mind at all," I happily replied. "It's not like they'll be in my way or anything."  
"Great! Let's get moving then!" She exclaimed as she pulled out a familiar wagon.  
As we all started piling boxes and electronics, I couldn't help but wonder why Mandy kept all this stuff in her van in the first place.  
"You two are wondering why, aren't you?" The otter pointed out.  
"About what?" Judy asked as she pulled out some recording equipment.  
"About why I have all of this stuff in the back of my van, of course."  
"Is it that obvious?" I asked rhetorically.  
The otter just gave us a sly grin. As I pulled the wagon towards the elevator, Mandy gave us her reasoning:  
"At first, I liked the idea of having some equipment on-paw for some general experiments when I wasn't at the lab. So I bought the largest van that I could feasibly drive and started loading some extra equipment in the back. And then I kept on getting more and more until eventually... Well, you saw how it is. I can't even fit all that stuff in my apartment, so I just left it there."  
"Did you ever think of renting a storage locker," I asked her.  
"I considered it for a bit," the otter admitted. "But with the price and the whole 'equipment not in reach' going for it, I quickly shot it down."

 

As Mandy and I finished loading up the last of the electronics on the wagon, a familiar fox decided to show up.  
"Hey kid, is your girlfriend moving in with you?" Nick teased as he walked up to the now empty van.  
That was the first and only time he made that joke and it was already old.  
"Okay. First off, she's not moving in with me, we're just storing her equipment in my apartment," I explained to the fox. "And second, SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"  
"Jeez, no need to get so uppity, I was just joking," He chuckled.  
"Yeah? Well it ain't funny," I scolded. "Did Judy call you over?"  
"Not exactly," Nick admitted. "She just told me she was here, and I have a bone to pick with her for not keeping her promise!"  
"Oh that's rich, coming from you," Judy called out as she walked out of the building. "You're the one who didn't keep their end of the bargain."  
"What the hell are you talking about!?!" The fox exclaimed. "All I did was find Sean a job."  
"Yeah, with Finnick!" The bunny retaliated. "And that job you sent him on? It got him a one-way ticket to jail!"  
The fox looked over to me.  
"Is she being serious?" He asked me.  
I just crossed my arms and gave him a scowl.  
"Look, Carrots, sweetheart, I didn't mean for Sean to get thrown in jail," Nick defended. "I just wanted to help him get a little pocket change."  
"And yet, you sent him on a job that was illegal," Judy pointed out, her face in a scowl that mirrored mine.  
"Look, we both know that the fastest paying jobs are the under-handed ones," the fox continued. "And I figured if Finnick was in charge, then he'd be okay."  
"Did I mention that Finnick ran off just before I got arrested," I interjected.  
The fox groaned as he covered his face with his paws.  
"Real smooth, Nick," Judy said flatly.  
"But that still doesn't excuse the fact that you showed that embarrasing photo to Clawhauser," the fox groaned. "And now it's all over Furbook."  
"Well if that's the case, then it's out of my paws," the bunny said with a devilish grin. "So I guess you're only option to avoid any more embarrasment would be to disappear for a while."  
Nick looked at her with a look of shock.  
"Carrots... Are you trying to... Get rid of me?"  
The fox looked almost heartbroken; emphasis on almost. Judy didn't fall for the ruse either as she was rolling her eyes.  
"No... We, are going on a road trip," she announced.  
Nick gave a small grin.  
"Sly bunny."  
"Dumb fox."


	10. Road Slick

After making some quick runs to Nick’s and Mandy’s apartments, the road trip was officially declared as started. Judy had already planned out our first destination: the Hopps Family Farm in the quiet rural community of Bunnyburrow.  
“It’ll be a great way to start off,” She had mentioned. “Far from the noises of the busy city.”  
And she wasn’t kidding when she said it was far, two-hundred and eleven miles was not a cakewalk. And unfortunately, because we had left so late in the day, we hadn’t even made a tenth of that distance in the two hours we’ve been stuck in traffic.

“Ugh, is there nothing else on the radio?” Nick groaned from the passenger seat.  
“Come on Nick,” Judy piped up from in behind. “Gazelle’s a great singer; everyone loves her songs.”  
“Oh, I know. She’s great,” the fox retorted. “But it seems like every single station is only playing Gazelle. For the past two hours, it’s been nothing. But. Gazelle. Anybody new to Zootopia would probably think that she’s our only source of musical culture at this point!”  
“He’s got a point, Judy,” I chimed in as I scanned the traffic jam from the driver’s seat. “I’m kind of getting tired of hearing the same songs for hours on end.”  
“Says the guy who has over twenty-four hours of Reggae from the same artist on his phone,” Mandy deadpanned just behind me.  
“Hey,” I replied disapprovingly. “I’ll have you know that that music is awesome, and that I don’t binge on it for hours on end.”  
“Okay, okay, okay!” Judy cut in. “Obviously this was poorly thought out, but let’s try to make the best of it. Why don’t you share some of your music, Sean?”  
“Oh that’s a great idea!” Mandy bubbled. “I never got a chance to listen to his music when I copied over his files.”  
“Dibs on first pick!” Nick exclaimed.  
I fished out my new phone from my pocket and handed it to the fox.  
“Knock yourself out.”  
“You sure you want to give your phone to an ex-con artist?” He asked mockingly.  
“Look, I’m driving and you called dibs,” I said matter-of-factly. “So I don’t have much of a choice.”

Nick took the phone and started scrolling through my library of songs. For a few minutes, he sat there silently, trying to pick out the first song of the trip.  
“Hey, Sean,” the fox said after a moment. “What’s this one?”  
“Which one?”  
“That one,” he answered as he pointed to a specific song on the screen.  
“Oh. That one. Umm, to be honest I completely honest, I forgot I had that,” I said as I recognized the song Nick was referring to.  
“What is it, some kind of audio documentary?” He jokingly asked.  
“What kind of documentary is three-and-a-half minutes long?”  
“Hmm, good point. Anyways, I pick this one,” he decided.  
“Actually, maybe you shouldn’t,” I stopped him. “I’m not sure you would like it.”  
“Well, I won’t know if I like it if I don’t hear it,” he replied with his sly grin. “And now I want to hear it even more.”  
“Fine,” I crumbled, as the fox set up the van’s stereo set. “But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

As the opening of the song rang through the van, I couldn’t help but drum my fingers on the wheel. Even if the song’s lyrics were horrible, the music itself was top notch. I even noticed Nick seemed to enjoy it as well, at least until the lyrics came in, then he had an expression of confusion all over his face.

**Dog goes woof, cat goes meow.**  
**Bird goes tweet, and mouse goes squeak.**  
**Cow goes moo. Frog goes croak, and the elephant goes toot.**  
**Ducks say quack and fish go blub, and the seal goes “Ow, ow, ow”.**  
**But there's one sound that no one knows...  
**WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?****

...

As the song died, I looked over to Nick. His jaw was open and he was staring blankly into space. He then slowly turned to me, his expression unchanged.  
“What the hell was that?” He questioned, gesturing to the stereo set.  
“It’s what I like to call ‘I told you so’,” I jeered.  
Judy and Mandy burst out laughing in the back seat.  
“That is not funny!” the fox shouted. “And I swear, if you play that song anywhere, I will personally smash you’re phone.”  
“Would it help if I went and deleted it?” I offered.  
“That would make my day,” He grumbled, slumping into his seat.  
I picked up the phone and deleted the music file under the fox’s watchful eye.  
“Happy?”  
“Peachy,” he grumbled.  
“Okay, who wants to choose the next song?”  
“ME!” Mandy and Judy shouted at once.

 

"Excuse me, but we'd like two rooms for the night," Judy asked the clerk as she stepped up to the lobby desk.  
We were still pretty far away from Bunnyburrow and the Hopps Family Farm, but due to our late departure and the traffic, it was already past sunset. We all agreed to turn in at the next motel, hoping that Judy's parents didn't mind us arriving a day later. And so we were all waiting in the lobby of the Hop Inn, a tacky two-storey motel by the highway.  
"Of course," the rabbit behind the counter replied. "That's one room per couple, correct?"  
I'm sorry, what?  
"Uh... Actually... We're not..." Judy stammered as she tried to explain.  
"Take a seat, Carrots, I'll handle this," Nick spoke up, gesturing to the chairs across the lobby.  
"Okay," she replied meekly as Mandy led her to a chair.  
The fox turned to the rabbit and gave him a calm look.  
"Alright cottontail, I'm going to lay the cards out for you," he started. "We're just a bunch of friends on a road trip and we'd like two rooms with two beds each."  
Despite not having made any threats whatsoever, the rabbit clerk looked to be scared out of his mind; I guess it's just because Nick is a fox.  
"Right, of course, how rude of me," the clerk apologized. "Let me see if I can accommodate you."

He turned to his computer, made a few quick clicks of the mouse and a slew of typing, and then turned back to us.  
"I'm terribly sorry, but we only have one two-bed room available."  
"Okay, that's fine," the fox nodded, before turning around and heading for the door. "Let's go guys; I'd rather test my luck on the road than have to share a bed at the price these guys are asking. How far was it to Bunnyburrow again, Carrots?"  
I looked over to Judy, who was looking at Nick. I thought I saw a small smile in the corner of her mouth before she replied:  
"I think... It's still fifty miles away," she said quietly. "But I don't want to travel in the dark. You remember what happened that night, don't you?"  
And then her eyes began to water; Mandy held her in a tight hug.  
"It's okay, we don't have to go anywhere," the otter spoke softly. "We can sleep in the van tonight, it's big enough."  
"Is she going to be okay?" I heard the clerk ask.  
I was wondering the same.  
Nick, who was standing in the doorway, gave out a heavy sigh, walked over to the counter and motioned the rabbit closer.  
"About a year ago, her parents died in a car accident while they were heading home from their usual date night," the fox explained in a low voice. "She's been fearful of cars ever since. We were just able to convince her to join us on this trip."  
Okay, that last part was a complete lie; what was he trying to pull?  
"Oh my goodness," the clerk whispered. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know-"  
"Of course you didn't," Nick cut him off. "You were just doing your job. Now we'd better get going before it gets any darker."  
And once again, he turned towards the door.

"Wait!" The rabbit called out. "I can't get you a second room, but I can offer you the employee discount!"  
Nick stopped mid-stride; so that's what it was.  
"I'm listening."  
"Twenty percent discount for the night," the clerk offered.  
"Make it twenty-five and we'll stay," the fox stated, crossing his arms.  
The rabbit squirmed and shuffled his paws. Looking from the firmly decided Nick to the shaking Judy.  
"Okay, okay, twenty-five percent," he crumbled.  
He went and collected a key off the wall behind the desk.  
"Here's the key, room two-oh-four," the clerk said as he gave me the key.  
"Thank you. Mandy, would you mind taking Judy inside?" I asked as I tossed her the key. "Nick and I will handle the check-in and the bags."  
"Okay," the otter nodded. "Come on Judy; let's go take a rest in one of those warm beds."  
I watched as the two walked down the hall. They both sneaked an approving thumbs-up. I smiled and turned back to Nick and the clerk.

"Okay, that's one two-bed room for four," the rabbit said as he filled out the document on his computer. "A bunny, a fox, a sea otter, and a..."  
He looked me over.  
"I'm sorry if this sounds rude, but what's your species?" he asked.  
I should have seen this coming.  
"Human," I answered automatically.  
"Hmm, I don't seem to have that species in my database."  
"I wouldn't be surprised," Nick chimed in. "He's part of a very rare sub-species of hairless chimpanzee."  
"Oh," the rabbit's eyes widened in surprise. "Well in that case, I'll put in chimpanzee."  
After a few more strokes of the keyboard, the clerk gave us the price.  
"That's thirty-two after the specialty discount."  
The fox took out his wallet and made a quick search through it.  
"Shoot! I'm two bucks short," he stated. "Sean, do you mind loaning me some change?"  
"Do I need to remind you that I'm flat broke?" I replied rhetorically. "Let me go ask if the girls can spare some."  
The rabbit held his head in his paws.  
"I'll take the thirty," he sighed.

"Okay, that was cool," I told Nick as we grabbed the suitcases.  
"You weren't too bad yourself, in the end," the fox complimented.  
“High five?” I asked, holding my hand up.  
“I hope you don’t mind if I’m short one,” he joked.


	11. Volun-Told

“That. Was. AMAZING!” Mandy cheered as we entered the room. “I can’t believe I actually helped in a hustle like that!”  
“Well, I’m surprised you or Sean didn’t blow our cover story,” Nick admitted as he dropped his share of suitcases. “By the way, Carrots. Nice acting, as always.”  
“Hold the applause for the award ceremony,” the bunny joked as she picked up her suitcase. “But thank you.”  
“Now I have to ask,” the fox continued. “When did you figure it out?”  
“Oh, almost immediately,” Mandy admitted. “You two are like an open book when it comes to body language.”  
“Sounds like someone is losing their touch,” Judy teased.  
“Hardly,” Nick replied.

“So, uh, how are we splitting the sleeping arrangements?” I asked as I studied the two beds.  
“Simple,” Nick said. “We take our clerk’s advice and split between the two-OW!”  
Judy had her heel on Nick’s tail.  
“Don’t you even think of finishing that sentence,” she announced. “We’re splitting it girls in one bed; boys in the other.”  
“Okay, okay, okay. Off, off, off,” the fox winced.  
Judy let her weight off his tail and Nick went ahead to straightening out his now out of place tail fur.  
“Jeez, Fluff, can’t you take a joke?”  
“That’s hardly something you joke about,” she pouted.  
Even I could tell this was going to get heated, and I didn’t want any part of it. So I stepped out of the room and took a walk.

 

I was sitting in the back of the van, scrolling through my phone when I heard a rap on the door. Opening it, I found none other than Mandy.  
“Mind if I join you?” She asked. “I kind of don’t feel like being around the hurricane team right now.”  
“It’s that bad?” I questioned as I made some space for her.  
“Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating,” she admitted. “But’s it’s still not pretty in there.”  
She sat down and eyed my phone.  
“So… Watcha doin’?”  
“I’m going through my library and fixing my playlists,” I explained. “The files transferred over perfectly, but the playlists don’t work. Probably due to the system difference.”  
“That’s… Going to take a while,” the otter pointed out. “By the way, you really didn’t have to delete your song back there.”  
“It’s fine, actually,” I told her. “The song was stupid, it’s probably very racist here, and I wasn’t that big of a fan of it anyway. Besides…”  
I scrolled down my list of tracks and pointed out to two in particular.  
“I still have the instrumental and Acapella versions.”  
“You’re crazy, you know that?” Mandy said with a sly grin.

“What do you think of Nick and Judy?” The otter asked out of nowhere.  
“Judy’s nice,” I started. “She’s comforting and always wanting to help. Almost motherly, if I were to go that far.”  
I paused for a moment as I thought about the fox.  
“Nick’s weird, though,” I admitted. “I don’t know if he hates me or something, but he’s constantly teasing me or harassing me. We only ever seem to get along when we’re joking about stuff; not taking anything seriously.”  
“Want to know what I think?” Mandy offered.  
“Shoot.”  
“I think he’s jealous of you.”  
“Jealous? Why should he be jealous of me?” I blurted out. “I just got here, I haven’t done anything.”  
“Okay, let me make it clear for you,” she said as she positioned herself to face me properly. “From what I can tell, Nick has a thing for Judy. And with her being so “motherly”, as you put it, towards you; it’s kind of rubbing him the wrong way.”  
“Wait, our fox has a thing for our bunny?” I asked, flabbergasted.  
“And if you’ve been paying attention, it seems she feels the same towards him,” she declared with a smirk.  
“Slow down, I thought foxes and rabbits were mortal enemies; or something like that,” I flubbed. “Shouldn’t they hate each other, not the complete opposite?”  
Mandy frowned at me, and flicked me in the forehead.  
“You idiot,” she declared. “We’ve evolved past those pity differences. Inter-species relationships are common practice nowadays.”  
“Oh, sorry,” I quietly apologized as I rubbed my forehead. “So they love each other, big woop; aren’t they already a couple, then?”  
“Do most couples live in separate apartments?” she pointed out.  
“Oh. I guess not,” I realized. “But what does that have to do anything?”  
“Clearly, they’re both clueless to how the other feels,” Mandy stated. “At most, they think they’re acting as best friends should.”  
“What are you saying?” I asked, already having an idea.  
“I’m saying we should give them a little push.” She revealed with a sly grin.  
“Mandy…” I facepalmed  
“Oh, come on! It’ll be another fun thing to do on our trip!” She begged. “Please!”

I peeked from in between my fingers; she had her paws clasped together, her lips pouting and her blue eyes wide open in hopes that I would accept. I gave out a heavy sigh.  
“Fine… I’ll help,” I answered.  
“Yes!” She shouted as she jumped with joy. “Operation Wilde/Hopps Matchmaker is a go!”  
“Operation Wilde/Hopps Matchmaker?” I repeated. “What are we? Super spies now?”  
“Hey! Let me have my fun!” She pouted.  
“Roger, Special Agent Lauter,” I jokingly saluted.

 

The next morning we were back on the road, Judy having switched places with Nick. The fox was napping in the back, while Mandy was borrowing my phone and headset, listening to music. The bunny had a map of the area spread out on the dashboard and was giving me basic directions to the Hopps Family Farm. As we were barrelling down a country road, I noticed someone standing by it, holding up a sign.  
"Hey Judy, you see that?" I said pointing out the hitchhiker.  
She looked up just in time to see the bunny by road, holding the sign that read:  
**To Hopps Farm**  
"STOP THE VAN!" Judy shouted as we passed the hitchhiker.

The vehicle skidded to a halt as I slammed the brakes. Judy jumped out as soon as we were stable, leaving me very confused at her reaction. I turned around to the others, finding Mandy in a jumble of wires and a tense Nick with his fur on end. I couldn't help but laugh at the image; if Mandy wasn't already using my phone, I would have taken a picture right there. I noticed the back doors opening, and in hopped our hitchhiker: a blonde bunny with a backpack, dressed in the classic aviator attire of a bomber jacket, scarf and goggles.  
"Hi!" She greeted, making the fox jump in his seat.  
I heard the passenger door opening and turned to Judy who was just settling in.  
"Mind filling us in?" I demanded.  
"Sorry," she winced. "Guys, this is Jenny Hopps, one of my sisters. She's been hitchhiking as of late."  
"Travelling, Judes," Jenny corrected. "I've been travelling. There's a difference."  
"Still doesn't excuse the fact that you made us stop to pick you up," Nick grumbled as he straightened his fur.  
"Who's Mr. Grumpypants, here?" The bunny asked.  
"Oh, sorry," Judy hastily apologized. "These are my friends: Nick Wilde, Mandy Lauter, and Sean Drifner."  
As we were introduced, we each shook Jenny's paw.  
"So are we camping here for the day, or are we heading home?" She inquired.

"So where have you been travelling?" Mandy asked our new passenger as we continued our journey.  
"Just about everywhere," she bluntly replied. "I go wherever I feel like going."  
"She's been like that since we were kits," Judy added. "Everyone in the burrows calls her Jenny Everywhere because of it. Although our parents always worried about her whenever she decided to go on one of her adventures."  
"Yeah," Jenny agreed. "But ever since you became a cop, they've been focusing all of their worry on you. So I jumped on the first ride out of Bunnyburrow and went on the adventure of a lifetime."  
"So what made you come back?" I asked.  
"The same reason you guys are," the bunny replied matter-of-factly.  
"I'm not following," I admitted.  
"Aren't you guys going down to help with the festival?" She questioned.  
"I don't know," I answered as I looked over to Judy. "Are we?"  
My navigator gave me a forced smile.  
"Funny thing about that," she weakly chuckled. "I may have forgotten to mention the Carrot Days Festival that my family's hosting."  
"Bravo, Carrots," Nick declared as he mockingly applauded her. "You've managed to rope us into volunteer work."  
"Oh come on, Nick," I said. "They're organizing a festival. I'm pretty sure that they could use the help, I've heard it takes the size of an army to make everything go smoothly."

For a long moment, no one said a word.  
"Did I say something wrong?" I asked in confusion.  
"Sean, aren't you aware of a particular trait that all rabbits share?" Mandy asked in response.  
"That most of them are cute?" I guessed.  
I was rewarded by a punch in the arm from Judy.  
"Wrong," she answered. "And don't call a rabbit 'cute', it's a little offensive."  
"I'll keep that in mind," I replied as I nursed my sore arm. "But what am I missing here?"  
"Ever hear the expression 'multiplying like rabbits'?" Jenny questioned.  
"Yeah, but what does that-"  
And then it clicked.  
"Judy, how big is your family?" I asked bluntly.  
The bunny mumbled under breath, I didn't hear what she said.  
"Speak up, Carrots," Nick scolded. "I doubt Sean has hearing like you."  
"Two-hundred and seventy-five siblings," she gasped.  
"Two-hundred?" I repeated.  
"And seventy-five," Jenny added.  
"And how many are helping with the festival?" Nick asked.  
"I heard from my parents that about two-thirds of us are helping with preparations," Judy answered.  
"That's close to a hundred and eighty sets of paws!" Mandy exclaimed.  
"Oh, good math, Mandy," Jenny praised.  
"Okay, maybe we won't be needed for the prep work," I said optimistically.  
"Actually..." Judy started.  
"God dammit, Judy," I groaned.


	12. Homecoming

As we approached Judy's childhood home, we were greeted by a flood of small bunnies. Judy smiled and waved out the window as I slowly made the van pull closer to what I assumed was the house; it looked like a large hill dotted with windows all over. As I parked the vehicle and we all stepped out, a bunny taller than those in our greeting party came out the front door.  
"Okay, kids! You can hug your aunt later, lunch is ready!" She called out.  
I nearly got dragged inside with the flood of bunnies as they ran at the prospect of food.  
"Mom!" Judy cried out as she ran in for a hug with the new bunny.  
"It's good to see you too," Judy's mom said as she returned the hug. "And I see you managed to find Jenny."  
I noticed that the blonde bunny was trying to sneak away from the van towards the back of the house, but froze at the mention of her name.  
"Hi mom," she greeted before bolting. "Bye mom!"  
As the dust lifted, Judy's mom held her face in one paw.  
"Honestly, what am I going to do with her?" She asked to no one in particular.  
"Never mind Jenny, mom," Judy consoled her. "What matters is that she's here for the festival."  
"As are you," she replied with a kiss to her forehead. "Now please, introduce me to your friends."  
"Guys, this is my mom, Bonnie Hopps," Judy introduced as she led her mom over to the van. "Mom, this is Nick Wilde, Mandy Lauter and Sean Drifner."  
"I've heard a lot about you Nick," she commented. "Thank you so much for keeping her safe on the job."  
"Actually, it's more like she's keeping me out of trouble, Mrs. Hopps," the fox chuckled.  
"Please, call me Bonnie," she replied.  
Mrs. Hopps then turned to Mandy and me.  
"Now you two are a couple of names that are new to my ears," she announced.  
"Well, we've really only met Judy and Nick this past week," Mandy pointed out. "But I'm glad that I'm their friend."  
"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Hopps," I greeted. "Your daughter's been a great friend this past week."  
"I'm glad that she has," Bonnie replied. "Though I must say Judy, you have the most bizarre choice in friends."  
"Mom!" The bunny exasperated.  
"Don't worry," the older bunny chuckled. "Knowing you, they're all good."  
"Thanks mom."  
"Now, let's get you all some beds for tonight," she declared. "That is, unless you're camping out in the field?"  
"Why would we be camping out?" I asked as I started unloading our suitcases.  
"A lot of my older siblings bring their families with them for stuff like this," Judy explained as she took her suitcase and led us inside.  
"And while the Hopps household is big," Bonnie continued. "There's not nearly enough rooms for all of them."

Calling the house big was an understatement; it was gigantic on the inside. The main entrance split into three hallways: one left, one right and one straight ahead on a downward slope. As Bonnie and Judy led us to the right, I could hear the sound of voices and the clattering of utensils downwards.  
"We've kept your room just as you left it, honey," Bonnie told her daughter as she showed the way through the curved hallway.  
"Mom, you didn't have to do that," Judy started.  
"That's what I keep telling your father, but he won't hear any of it," she defended. "So all I've done is a quick cleaning now and then."  
"Thanks," Judy replied as she opened a door to our left. "You can bunk with me Mandy. You guys will have to find somewhere else to sleep."  
And she closed the room off as soon as the otter stepped in.  
"Alright you two," Bonnie called from further down the hall. "You heard her, let's find you somewhere you can rest."  
After a minute of following miss Hopps, I finally took notice of the hallway going upwards. I guess the hallway spiralled up the hill-shaped home until it reached the top, which is eventually where the bunny led us to.  
"I hope you boys don't mind walking all the way down," she said apologetically as she opened the last door. "But this room is really the only one that can accommodate you two."  
It was a circular lounging area, the center had a couple of couches surrounding a low coffee table. The ceiling skylight provided most of the lighting in the room, but I noticed that a few wall-lamps were installed for after dark.  
"This pretty much makes any amount of walking worth it," I commented.  
"I have to agree, Mrs. Hopps," Nick chimed in. "Thanks for the hospitality."

 

"I should've known my mom would have you two sleep here," Judy stated as she and Mandy entered the room.  
"It's a bit bigger than I'm used to, but I'll manage," Nick joked. "Fortunately for me, Sean here can take up the extra room."  
"What am I, a pet now?" I quipped.  
The trio laughed at the concept as I looked through the bookshelves that lined the walls. Most of them were binders filled with what I assumed to be photos, but a lot of them were plain old books as well. I wasn't much of a reader myself, but this room alone might've looked like a paradise with all there was to read. There were textbooks and encyclopedias, novels and magazines; it was almost like a miniature library.  
One book in particular caught my attention; the large spine was a bit worn, but the golden letters that hadn't faded shone in the sunlight. Pulling it off the shelf, the full title revealed itself: Kingdom Animalia.  
"That might be useful, if you ask me."  
I looked down to find Mandy eyeing the book I was holding.  
"Really?" I questioned while handing her the book. "I just thought it looked nice."  
"Kingdom Animalia," she read the title before flipping through the pages. "It's a very basic encyclopedia on the different animals that live in our world."  
True to her word, I saw names and pictures of many animals I did and didn't recognize. The descriptions each occupied half a page, and judging by the thickness of the book there was way more than enough information for anyone to keep track of.  
"You mentioned that you were from a world where your species was the only one in dominance," the otter stated. "So you probably have a narrow field of knowledge when it comes to animals, correct?"  
I rolled my eyes; Mandy was right on the money. She closed the book and handed it back to me.  
“As long as we’re here, you might as well read a few articles,” she suggested. “Knowledge is power, after all.”  
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I replied.

 

We were sitting on the couches, discussing what we were going to be doing over the weekend, when we got interrupted by a new face.  
“Alright! Where’s my favourite police officer?” A bunny suddenly asked from the doorway.  
“Heather!” Judy jumped at the voice. “What are you doing here?”  
“Sis, I may be famous, but I would never miss the Carrot Days Festival,” Judy’s sister stated as she walked into the room. “Especially when my family is organizing it.”  
The new bunny looked like a more mature version of Judy, dressed in a neat button-up shirt and a silk scarf. If it weren’t for the tuft of white hair on top and the green eyes, you would think they were twins.  
“Oh. My. Gosh. Are you? You Are! You totally are!” Mandy shouted as she jumped off the couch and ran to shake the bunny’s paws. “I’m such a big fan. You were amazing in the last Jack Savage movie. Savage Skies is my favourite, you were incredible.”  
Nick and Judy looked just as surprised as me to Mandy’s outburst, the bunny however, seemed to take the whole thing in very calmly.  
“Well it’s always nice to meet a fan, even if I only played a minor role in that movie,” she humbly replied. “Miss?”  
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself,” the otter excitedly apologized before calming down. “I’m Mandy Lauter, it’s so nice to meet you Heather Hopps.”  
“Please, just Heather,” the bunny requested, holding up a paw. “I can tell from your company that your already friends with my little sister, so we can skip on the formalities.”  
“And if you’re done chatting up Princess here, you can let her sit down,” Nick called out.  
“Oh, sorry,” Mandy apologized again. “Please, have a seat. There’s still some space next to me and Sean.”  
The otter jumped onto the couch beside me and patted on the free space next to her.  
“Thanks for the offer, Mandy,” Heather answered. “But I think I’ll sit with my sister and Shining Armour here.”

And so she skipped on over to Nick and Judy and placed herself in between the two. As Heather sat down, she rested her head on the fox’s side while releasing a relaxed sigh with closed eyes. Nick looked to be taken completely by surprise, and Judy looked overwhelmed with shock, her ears having fallen to her back. She then looked to Nick with a look of anger in her eyes, to which the fox only responded with a shrug. As Judy turned away with crossed arms, Nick looked in the opposite direction and held his face in his paw, an expression of annoyance all across it. The silent exchange seemed to have done nothing to shake Heather in the slightest; she was still nestled in Nick side.  
I looked over to Mandy who had the same confused expression I had. She just shrugged, apparently not knowing what to make of the situation.  
“You think they have some history?” I whispered.  
“Nice deduction, Sherlock,” she annoyingly whispered back.  
“This’ll make things a little harder, won’t it?” I asked.  
“Actually, this just might work in our favour,” the otter replied with a smile.  
I just looked at her funny; I had no idea how this was going to work out, but clearly Mandy was the expert. And I figured it was time to break up the foreboding tension on the other side of the table.

“So, Heather, was it?” I asked the bunny after clearing my throat. “I never got the chance to introduce myself. Sean Drifner.”  
I held out my hand as I gave my introduction, and Heather leaned forward to shake it.  
“It’s nice to meet you Sean,” she spoke calmly. “What brings you to our home?”  
“Your sister, actually,” I said matter-of-factly while gesturing to the sour bunny. “We’re on a road trip and she suggested that Bunnyburrow should be our first stop.”  
“And she roped you into helping out with the festival, didn’t she?” Heather guessed as she gave Judy a sly grin.  
“Yeah, she did,” I answered with embarrassment. “Though to be completely honest, I don’t know what we could help with.”  
The bunny looked me over from head to toe.  
“Well… Someone your size would be perfect in helping set up some tents and attractions on the festival grounds.”


	13. Helping Hands

The Carrot Days Festival was being held in a field not too far from the Hopps Family Farm. And just as Judy had said, most of the Hopps family was helping with the preparations; installing booths, setting up attractions, decorating the walkways, there were rabbits and bunnies everywhere. Judy mentioned that the Carrot Days Festival used to just be a small-town fair held every year, but ever since the Nantes family hosted the event five years ago, it's been a competition to see which family could hold the best festival.

This year was the first time the Hopps family was hosting since the competition broke out, and the entire family was visibly confident that they were going to blow away the others. I was helping with the installation of one of the many tents; Judy's father, Stu Hopps, was acting as foreman for the group.  
"Alright everyone! While Sean's holding up the main mast, pull up and anchor down the corner poles," Stu directed.  
As the other bunnies rushed to get the corners up, the elder rabbit gave me a hand with keeping the mast steady.  
"I'm sure glad that Jude brought you along," Stu voiced. "It usually takes a team of eight to keep this baby up and steady."  
"I'm just glad that I'm being helpful, Mr. Hopps," I strained as I kept the mast from falling over.  
"You know, if it's too much you can take a break," the rabbit offered.  
"Maybe once we're done with this tent," I suggested. "Not that I'm not confident in your ability to hold this up, but you don't exactly remind me of Hercules either."  
"Who's Hercules?" He asked.  
"Some guy in ancient times who had legends about how strong he was," I explained. "Son of a god, and strong enough to lift mountains. A lot of movies were made about him, back where I'm from."  
"Wow," Stu gasped with wide eyes. "Sounds unbelievable if you ask me."  
"I know, right?" I laughed. "I don't even know if he actually existed, but it's still entertaining."  
"Okay, Dad! The corners are anchored down!" A rabbit shouted from outside the tent.  
"Good! Now, let's get those center poles and cross-beams mounted!" Stu ordered around.  
I looked up at the main mast that I was still holding up. The tent was tightly spread across it and despite the few shakes I made, the pole stood it's ground.  
"Do you think I can let go of the pole now, Mr. Hopps?" I asked the rabbit.  
"Oh, yes," he answered quickly. "Just let me place the last anchors in, before you do."  
With the mast secure and the rest of the tent shaping up, Stu gave me permission to have the rest of the afternoon off, despite my protests at wanting to help more.

 

From what I could tell, the festival was going to be a very big deal. With most of the booths and tents set up, the various attractions were starting to show their faces. From the cliché fair games of ring toss and balloon darts, to more modern arcade cabinet style games such as plush cranes and punching bags. Even the market area showed the skewed marriage of the classic and modern, with fresh produce and baked goods being advertised near candy and coffee; homemade quilts and knit sweaters being laid out near electronics and graphic t-shirts.

As I made my way past the various stalls preparing for tomorrow, my attention was drawn to a familiar animal carrying boxes much too large for him.  
"Need any help with those, buddy?" I asked as I came up from behind the small blonde fox.  
"If I needed help, I woulda asked," Finnick retaliated as he stopped and looked at me through a pair of aviators. "Now take the top boxes. I can't see shit."  
"Okay Boss," I shrugged before taking the two boxes and following him. "So what brings you to the festival?"  
"What do ya think?" The fox shot rhetorically. "Easy cash, sellin' stuff out here."  
"T-shirts again?" I guessed, the weight of the boxes giving away the answer.  
"Yep," Finnick replied as he placed his box in front of an empty stall. "And this time, it's entirely legit. No way the fuzz is stopping this gig for the whole weekend."  
"Uh-huh," I grunted, dropping my boxes onto the table.  
"Hey, watch the merchandise! I've got a limited stock!" The fox growled.  
"You mean 'watch it', like last time?" I asked as my temper started to rise. "You left the booth just before I got cuffed and thrown in jail. Almost like you knew they were coming."  
"Woah, woah, hold up. You're tellin' me you got busted by the cops that night?" He asked with a hint of disbelief.  
"You seriously didn't know?" I asked in return. "I thought you would have wondered why I left all the cash in the box or that Nick would have told you about it."  
"Alright. One, I thought you'd swiped the box since it wasn't there when I got back," Finnick counted off of a claw. "And two, Nick doesn't tell me shit these days!"

The fox turned around and started walking back the way we came; I glared daggers into his back before catching up to him.  
"Give it to me straight, though," I requested. "Did you or did you not know that the cops were coming?"  
Finnick just kept walking.  
"Well?"  
"Yes! Alright? I heard them coming," he admitted. "What are you gonna do? Beat me up over it?"  
"No, I just wanted an answer," I replied. "Besides, I'm more likely to get my face chewed off before I succeed."  
"Ha! Good one, kid!" The fox laughed. "You ain't so bad after all."  
We picked up a few more boxes from Finnick's van and headed on back to the booth.  
"Any reason you don't have anyone helping you out?" I questioned. "This would be over by now if we had more sets of hands."  
"Listen, I may be smaller than most of these rabbits, but I'm still a fox," he stated without looking back. "And most of these country types ain't as open-minded as you or me."  
"Did you try asking?"  
"Don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly the asking type," he told me as we reached the booth again, our boxes untouched.  
"Would you mind if I gave it a go?" I offered.  
"Knock yourself out," he said non-chalantly. "I'll set up what I have in the meantime."

As I made my way back to the van, kept a lookout for anyone that wasn't busy. Ironically enough, despite the sheer number of bunnies everywhere, no one seemed to be free. At least, no one on my way to the van. I was looking into the crowd from beside it when a familiar voice grabbed my attention:  
"Looking for something, Sean?"  
I looked over to find Judy in a wide-brimmed hat.  
"Yeah, I was hoping to find some free bunnies to help out with these boxes," I answered as I pointed a thumb to the pile in the back of the van.  
Judy took a look inside before glancing at the siding.  
"Wait, isn't this... Finnick's van?" She questioned. "I thought you weren't going to work with him after that job landed you some jail time?"  
"Okay, first off, I'm not working with him, I offered him some help to set up his booth," I explained while still perusing the crowd. "Second, I don't blame Finnick for getting me jail time. Third, we hit it off not five minutes ago so I'd like to keep the ball rolling. And four, would you mind helping me find some hands, I'm feeling like an idiot, just waiting for an opening here."  
"Sure thing, just stay here."  
And she walked off past a few stalls and rounded a corner. A few minutes later, she reappeared followed by a large group of about three dozen smaller bunnies.  
"What have we got here? The Officer Hopps Fan Club?" I joked as Judy and the rest of the group arrived.  
The little ones all giggled in their paws while Judy gave me a playful punch in leg.  
"No, these are my nieces and nephews from this morning," she explained. "My older brother Barney said I could borrow them for a bit; keep them out of his hair while he takes a brake."  
"You mean keep them off of his wife while he takes a break?" I jokingly asked.  
Another punch in the leg; this time not as playful.  
"I swear, it's like you went and switched places with Nick when I wasn't looking," she grumbled. "Alright kids, we're going to be helping Sean with these boxes. Go ahead and make teams of four, each team will be given a box to carry."  
"Yes, Aunt Judy," the kids said unison before splitting into groups.

Once the boxes were given out and the back of the van emptied, Judy and I led the box parade towards Finnick's booth.  
"Speaking of Nick, any idea where he is?" I asked her, trying to make small talk.  
"Last I saw, he was following Heather around with a bunch of posters," she growled while shifting the boxes she was carrying.  
"Okay, I really don't want to be rude, but did anything happen between you three?" I pried.  
"No offence, Sean, but it's kind of personal," she replied. "And this is not exactly the best time to be asking about it."  
"Well I'm getting the feeling that no time will be a good time, so just give me the short non-personal version so I know what not to bring up in a conversation," I pressed.  
"Are you sure you're not Nick?" She joked with a small smile.  
I rolled my eyes.  
"You caught me. I shaved my fur, put on stilts and hid my tail, _Carrots_ ," I mockingly replied.  
"Don't call me that," Judy quickly ordered.  
"Duly noted. Now spill."  
She gave out a defeated sigh before replying:  
"Heather shadowed me and Nick once, for one of her movie roles. But when it was time for her pick up, there was a mix up and she ended up acting my role while I did hers. Long story short, I heard she got quite close to Nick when I wasn't around."  
"As evidenced by the whole 'Princess' and 'Shining Armour' nicknames," I pointed out.  
I heard Judy growl and grit her teeth as I finished that statement.  
"Okay, I think that's enough for me to know," I said. "So consider the subject dropped."  
"Thank you."  
"And perfect timing, since we're here."

Finnick had done a pretty good job getting his stall ready, the entire booth was covered with black T-shirts of varying sizes. On the front of them was a simplistic orange carrot centered under the simple phrase Carrot Days Festival.  
“If it weren’t for Officer Hustler helping you, I woulda thought that you were the Pied Piper,” the fox called out from his chair.  
“Nice to see you too, Finnick,” Judy chuckled. “Where would you like these boxes?”  
“Just put ‘em in the back of the tent,” he directed.  
“Great,” the bunny cheerily answered before turning to the line of boxes. “Alright kids! We’re piling the boxes in here!”  
As the boxes of shirts got organized by size, the kids eyed the shirts that were on display; giving off-hand comments that were quite innocent for their age.  
One of Judy’s nieces approached Finnick with a shy expression.  
“Um, Mister Fox? Could I have a shirt for helping out?” She quietly asked.  
Finnick looked at the girl, and from the way his eyes were shifting back and forth to Judy, had no idea how to respond. Judy gave him a thumbs up.  
“Sure, go ahead, but only for you,” he told the small bunny.  
She cheered and gave the fox a big hug; Judy couldn’t help but let out an audible ‘aww’. As Judy’s niece picked out a shirt, Finnick turned to Judy herself.  
“If you tell anyone that that happened, I’ll bite your face off,” He threatened.  
“Threatening an officer is a public offence,” Judy light-heartedly retaliated. “But I’ll let it slide if you let me and Sean have a T-shirt as well.”  
“No.”  
“Are you sure about that?” the bunny asked as she pulled out a carrot-shaped pen and waved it in front of the fox. “Think of it as free advertisement.”  
“Fine,” Finnick replied, defeated.  
“You’re so sweet.”  
“Hustler.”


	14. Natural Instinct

The Hopps family held a Barbecue after our long day of work. Although to be completely honest, I wouldn’t exactly call it a Barbecue myself. Yes, there was food being cooked on grills, but I wouldn’t eat half of what was available. There were grilled vegetables, which I deemed completely safe, but there were also burgers and sausages being cooked among the many barbecues; all of which I questioned their ingredients.  
Ever since my first taste of Zootopian cuisine, I haven’t exactly been the happiest eater. I know that I can, technically, eat everything that’s made here. It’s just the concept of eating bugs that somehow irks me. In short, my diet has been nothing short of vegetarian ever since that horrible pizza.

As I walked passed the many filled picnic tables with my plate of grilled carrots and corn-on-the-cob I heard the familiar voice of Mandy calling me out.  
“Sean! Over here! We’ve got space!”  
Even if she hadn’t called, waving her arms, I would’ve been able to spot her; she was easily head and shoulders over all of the rabbits in the field. I sat down at the table where Mandy and a few other rabbits were eating.  
“Thanks for saving me a spot, Ma-What are you eating?!?” I cut myself off in horror.  
The otter was holding a burger, but what made my skin crawl was the fact that the blackish patty had pieces of wings and small legs jutting out from the sides.  
“A Cicada burger,” she absently responded before taking a bite.  
I felt my stomach lurch; Mandy, however, seemed to enjoy the “burger”.  
“Oh my god, this is just the best!” she exclaimed after swallowing her mouthful.  
“Not surprising,” one of the rabbits at our table commented. “Carl’s in charge of the food this time and he’s a grade-A Chef.”  
“Sean, you have to try this,” the otter stated, pushing the “burger” towards me.  
“No thanks, I’m good, I’ve got my own plate,” I hastily declined, pointing to my modest meal.  
“That doesn’t look very filling if you ask me,” another rabbit at our table commented.  
“Well sorry, but I didn’t have enough room for the potato salad,” I defended.

“So Mandy, what have you been doing all afternoon?” I asked.  
“Oh, I was helping Fred and George here,” she pointed to the two rabbits at our table. “We’ve been spanning electrical wiring across the field for all the attractions and vending booths.”  
“Sounds tiring,” I commented.  
“Not if you use an ATV to unspool everything,” George stated. “Though I don’t know why we didn’t think of it before.”  
“Yeah, it took hours to cover the entire field last time,” Fred added. “And we didn’t even have a third of the electricity demand back then.”  
“Then I guess you had a lot of free time afterward, huh?”  
“Nuh-uh,” George denied. “We took the extra time to put more work in our attraction for tomorrow.”  
“You guys have an attraction?”  
“Oh yeah, they have the craziest haunted house I’ve ever seen!” Mandy exclaimed in excitement. “Fred here is a costume designer and George works in special and practical effects, so you can imagine the magic that’ll happen, right?”  
“Well… That’ll definitely be on my list tomorrow,” I decided with a smile.  
“We can’t wait to see the look on your face,” the two brothers said in unison. 

“So, did you find anything out that could help us get Nick and Judy together?”  
Mandy and I were helping clear up the tables and chairs when she asked the question.  
“Nope, but I did find out the relationship between them and Heather,” I relayed to her.  
“Ooooh, tell me!” she whispered in excitement.  
I gave her the information that Judy trusted me with; Mandy’s brow furrowed as she mulled over the tale.  
“Hmm, I need more info than that. Preferably from a different source, too”  
“Maybe I could help out?”  
“Aaah!” Mandy and I jumped as the bunny poked their head in our huddle.  
It was Heather, still clad in her silk scarf, carrying a couple of chairs herself.  
“What are you talking about?” I tried asking evasively.  
“Oh, don’t play dumb,” the bunny scolded. “I know you two are trying to get my sister and the fox together.”  
“Then why do you want to help us?” Mandy questioned. “You’ve been hogging Nick all afternoon; don’t you want him for yourself?”  
“Clearly, you’re unaware of sibling rivalry and teasing,” Heather chided. “I’ve enjoyed getting a rise out of my sister ever since we’ve been kits, but this is just sad.”  
“What do you mean?” I asked.  
“Everyone in the family can blatantly see how much the two care for each other. What with Judy talking about him non-stop; and Nick is always looking in her direction when she’s not looking.  
“There’s even a betting pool on whether who’s going to ask who out first,” She whispered. “I’m betting on Nick myself.”  
“The only problems are that Judy is the most clueless bunny in the family, in regards to matters of the heart,” she continued. “And Nick is all charm, no guts.”  
“Yeah, we kind of got that,” Mandy stated. “But if you’re not after Nick, what’s with all of the affection and the nicknames?”  
“As much as I would love to tell you the entire story,” the bunny started; her voice wistful. “Let’s just say that he was a very noble animal during my time with him…”  
As Heather sauntered off with her load of chairs, I couldn’t help but have an expression of confusion on my face.  
“Did you understand anything from that?” I asked Mandy.  
“Not a clue,” the otter admitted. “But I do know that we won’t have to worry about any competition from Judy’s sisters, given that everyone’s rooting for them to hook up.”  
I nodded in agreement.

Back in the Lounge that served as Nick’s and my sleeping area, I pulled out the encyclopedia ‘Kingdom Animalia’. I flipped through the various pages until I found an image reminding me of the sleeping fox in front of me; underneath it was an accompanying article.  
_Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)_  
_The Red Fox is the largest member of the fox family; standing, at most, at 1.1 meters in height. Despite their size, they are quite light; the bones of a red fox being 30 percent less dense that similarly sized canids. On average, the male adult red fox has a weight of 12 kilograms; the females weighing, on average, 17 percent less._  
The article went on to spout out diets and natural habitats, as well as a bunch of other general information about Nick’s species. But one piece seemed quite interesting.  
_When searching for a mate, male red foxes will follow their target vixen until the female has chosen their suitor._  
I guess it’s less that Nick doesn’t have the guts to ask Judy out, more like he’s following his natural instincts. Looks like Heather is going to lose the bet after all.  
I closed the book shut and set it back on the shelf, contemplating whether I was tired enough to warrant going to bed straight away. My bladder got the better of me, so I stepped out of the Lounge in search of a bathroom.


	15. Staged Fright

(Note to self: Be careful of who you pick to guide you.)

It wasn’t even lunch yet and the festival grounds were completely packed with animals. Kids were dragging their parents from attraction to attraction, pointing at everything that caught their eye. Couples were strolling through the crowd, arm in arm. I was sharing cotton candy with Mandy, despite my futile attempts to discourage her.  
“Come on, Sean! It’s not a fair without cotton candy!” the otter exclaimed, picking a piece off the fluffy mass of sugar.  
“Whatever you say, but this is a festival, not a fair.”  
“Don’t be such a buzz-kill,” she laughed. “It started out as a farmer’s fair, then it became a festival. So I say: ‘bring on the cotton candy’.”  
“Okay, but shouldn’t we be making some headway on Operation Wilde-Hopps Matchmaker?”  
“Jeez, Sean, this is a festival. We worked our tails off yesterday; we deserve to enjoy it as much as everyone else.”  
“Speaking of enjoy, how about we hit up this attraction?”  
We came up to a tent with a cardboard cut-out of a dreary looking building covering the front. Outside the entrance was a sign that read:  
_Can you brave all five nights?_

“Welcome to Five Nights! The horror attraction that tests your courage,” Fred and George greeted as we stepped into the tent.  
“Aren’t they all supposed to test your courage?” I asked.  
“Not like this one,” Fred piped up. “Usually, you have to walk-”  
“Or run,” George cut in.  
“Or run through the attraction to get it over with,” Fred continued. “At Five Nights, YOU decide when it’s over.”  
“Each round is a night in the haunted mansion,” George explained. “If you can last all five rounds, you win!”  
“What do we win?” Mandy asked.  
The two rabbits looked at each other; they obviously didn’t think that one through.  
“Uh…”  
“Guts and glory?” Fred offered.  
I shook my head as I held it in my hands.  
“Guys if it was just a regular Haunted House, I’d understand,” I commented. “But you’re making this a game; you gotta do something to bring players in.”  
“Like a scoreboard!” Mandy pitched.  
“A scoreboard?” Fred tilted his head.  
“Yeah, make a scoreboard that tells everyone who made it to night five, or something,” the otter explained.  
George furrowed his brow in thought for a few moments.  
“I guess we could mock something up for the weekend,” he concluded.  
“I knew we were missing something,” Fred said in frustration.  
“I’ll go get a blackboard and chalk,” George said as he walked out of the tent. “You go ahead and start the attraction.”

Mandy and I were walking through some dark corridors, using flashlights to look around. Fred had explained that if we saw anything move, we just need to point our flashlights at it and it would stop moving.  
“Sounds pretty lame if you ask me,” I said as we walked past some overturned trashcans.  
“Yeah, well, let’s just wait and see what happens,” Mandy replied. “Besides, we’ve still got eight minutes for this round.”  
Along with our flashlights, Fred had given each of us a watch that counted down the time for each round.  
“If you want to chicken out in the middle of the round, just head for the exit,” the rabbit had explained. “Otherwise, I’ll see you in ten minutes.”  
There were, of course, signs that showed where the exit was. They flickered as if they were going to break down any minute. The halls we walked through were littered with trash and fake cobwebs. I had to hand it to the two brothers; they knew how to make it feel creepy.  
I felt a rush of wind behind me as we crossed another hallway. I whirled around, searching with my flashlight, finding nothing up or down the hall.  
“Did you feel that?” I asked Mandy.  
“Feel what?” She questioned, turning to face me.  
“Like something ran past us,” I explained.  
“Are you getting scared already? There’s no one else here.”  
“I’m not scared, I know I felt something.”

We kept walking for another five minutes; I thought I heard a few noises here and there, but we didn’t see anything new aside from some creepily torn up posters.  
“Okay, this is getting boring,” I commented, stopping in my tracks. “You said this was going to be awesome.”  
“Hey, it sounded awesome from the way they pitched it to me yesterday,” Mandy defended, whirling around.  
“Hey, put that down, you’re blinding me!”  
“Sorry.”  
“Look, we’ve been walking in the dark here for what, eight minutes now? Where are the jump scares? Where’s the creepy-crawly stuff? I know I didn’t pay for this, but I demand a refund!”  
Just as I finished my outburst, I noticed a small pair of lights turn the corner at the end of the hall. They seemed to be part of a larger figure, darkened by the lack of light. Almost automatically, I held my flashlight up to see what it was, but the light dimmed as I pointed it down the hall.  
“What the-”  
A loud roar came from the direction of the two lights; my hair stood up on end. Mandy turned around and pointed her flashlight, which dimmed as well. Another roar erupted from the end of the hallway.  
“Right, like that’s going to scare us,” the otter chuckled.  
And then the lights started getting closer.  
“Um, I thought moving things weren’t supposed to move when we pointed lights at them,” I mentioned, on the brink of panicking.  
The lights seemed to be picking up speed.  
“Alright, we’re running.”  
“We’re what?”  
Another roar came from the mystery figure.  
“WE’RE RUNNING!” Mandy shouted as she pulled me around and started running down the hallway, away from the oncoming monster.  
Almost immediately our flashlights lit up showing us the way through the halls, but just behind I could hear growling and snarling not too far.  
“This way!” Mandy ordered, ducking into a crossing hallway.  
I followed her just as I noticed the monster rounding the corner behind me. What I saw was a dead-end.  
“Great idea, genius,” I scolded.  
“Shh, maybe it’ll just pass us by,” she told me.  
We listened to the growls and snarls as they got closer to the crossroads, keeping our lights pointed down so they would attract attention. The figure slowly moved into view, giving a vague silhouette of a hunched animal. Arms at the ready, it looked like it would pounce on anything it saw, if only it had legs; the bottom half of the figure was shaped like a box. As it moved out of view, I exhaled, not realising that I was holding my breath.  
“Okay, I take back what I said about refunds,” I thought out loud.  
Mandy just laughed. Our watches beeped and the hallways lit up, signalling the end of the round.

“So, what do you guys think?” George asked as we stepped into the attraction lobby.  
“I think it could use a little work, but I get what you’re trying to do here,” I commented.  
“I had a blast playing, Sean was scared out of his mind,” Mandy ecstatically shared.  
“I was not,” I lied, trying to stay composed.  
“Yes you were.”  
“Was not.”  
“Were to.”  
“Guys!” Fred cut in. “We appreciate the feedback. Now are you going to go for another round? There’s still four more nights.”  
I, for one, wasn’t up for it. I looked to Mandy with a nervous smile; she seemed to get the message.  
“I think we’ll take a pass on that,” she told the two rabbits.  
“Alright,” George shrugged as he went to write our names on his makeshift scoreboard.

“Look, Sean, I’m sorry for laughing. I just couldn’t help myself.”  
Mandy was chasing after me through the festival. I wasn’t exactly the happiest camper after running from a robot in the dark; her laughing just made the whole thing embarrassing.  
“Just drop it, okay,” I sighed, walking through the crowd of animals.  
“Maybe we can talk about something else?” She offered, catching up to me.  
“Like what?”  
“Umm…”  
She stared at the ground while she thought up some topic. I just made sure we didn’t bump into anyone. Lunchtime was closing in and the paths were getting full, so I led us away from the food stalls. The crowd thinned out as we made our way closer to the market.  
“Have you figured out what you want to do here?” Mandy piped up.  
“I’m sorry?”  
I was completely lost in terms of what she meant.  
“Jobs, hobbies, have you given those things any thought?” She explained.  
“Oh…”  
I hadn’t.  
Ever since I arrived, I’ve been so freaked out about everything. I’ve been so focused on getting settled in that I never thought about what I wanted to do.  
“What do I want to do?” I thought out loud.  
As I said this, we passed by a booth which caught my eye. The stall was full of musical instruments and recording equipment, some of which were hooked up and ready for demonstration. One such item was a keyboard. As I approached the stall, I couldn’t help but play a few notes on the keys. I had never played the piano, but the thought of trying to learn always ran in the back of my mind. And now, without a job or schooling to take up all my time, it seemed like it might be possible.  
“I think I’d like to try…” I said to myself.  
“Piano?” Mandy guessed, appearing beside me.  
I had almost forgotten she was there.  
“Uh, yeah. I’ve always wanted to be able to play an instrument,” I told her, embarrassed. “I’ve just never had the time before.”  
“Well it’s better than nothing,” she smiled.  
“Seems like you’re interested in that keyboard.”  
The vendor was a small weasel with a mask of black fur over his eyes.  
“Interested? Yes,” I admitted. “But I don’t exactly have any cash on me.”  
“No cash, no sale,” He frowned.  
“Maybe we can come to some agreement,” Mandy offered. “How much are you asking for the keyboard?”  
“One hundred and fifty. But as I said: no cash, no sale.”  
I pulled Mandy aside.  
“Mandy, what are you doing?” I questioned her. “I don’t have the money, and I hardly think you have a hundred and fifty in cash on you.”  
“I’m trying to help you, do you want that keyboard?”  
“Not if it means what I think you’re trying to do.”  
“What do you think I’m trying to do?” She pressed.  
I just looked at the vendor and then back to Mandy, thinking she’d get the hint.  
“What are you-”  
Her eyes went wide; she got the idea.  
“No! Ew! No!” She exclaimed. “Get your head out of the gutter, Sean. That didn’t even cross my mind. Sheesh.”  
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry,” I apologized.  
“So are you two clowns buying this thing?” The weasel asked.  
“Not right now, we just need to get our money. Would you mind holding it for us?” Mandy asked.  
“I’ll keep it in the back until sundown,” he said. “After that, first come, first served.”  
“Thanks, we’ll be back before then!” The otter replied as she dragged me away from the stall.

“Mandy, I don’t think I can do this.”  
“Come on, Sean. You’ll be fine. I’ve heard you sing and it’s great.”  
“I sing in the shower and when I’m alone, not in front of crowds.”  
Mandy’s idea for getting the money involved me singing in front of an audience. Heather was the host for the festival’s talent show, which she named ‘Hopps Knows Talent’, which apparently had a cash prize for the winners. The show was already underway when we arrived at the venue, but that didn’t stop Mandy from signing me up as a last minute contestant.  
“Look, just imagine you’re the only one up there and try to have fun,” she encouraged.  
I gave out a deep breath; I was nervous beyond belief. I’ve always sung songs to myself to kill time and have fun; I just never had the guts to sing around people. I’ve heard that others hear your voice differently from how you do, so I was worried that I might not sound on key.  
“We’re now onto our final contestant!” I heard Heather announce on stage. “A last minute addition to our contest, but still a very interesting candidate. Please welcome, Sean Drifner!”  
The crowd applauded as I made my way onto the stage. Heather handed me the microphone.  
“Good luck,” she whispered before strolling to the sidelines.  
I looked out to the crowd and felt my gut do somersaults. I spotted Mandy who was jumping and waving near the front.  
“Hello everyone,” I greeted. “Before I start, I would like to say: Mandy, you are evil. I wouldn’t be up here if it wasn’t for you, so I’m throwing you under the bus if this goes south.”  
The crowd roared with laughter, while Mandy shook her head, smiling. I looked over to the DJ, another of Judy’s brothers, and nodded, signaling the start of my number.  
I closed my eyes and focused on the music, the electric keyboard opening the song, and I sang:

**I don't know where I'm going**  
**But, I sure know where I've been...**  


...

As the music faded, the crowd roared in applause. I couldn’t help but laugh. I did it. I had just sung in front of a crowd of people, with no practice whatsoever. I just couldn’t help but laugh at how lucky I was.

********** **

Not lucky enough though.  
“It’s okay, Sean. You did your best,” Mandy tried to console me.  
I had made second place in the contest; apparently, magic was the better contender against music. Second wasn’t so bad, I didn’t really care if I got first or last, but second place prize was one hundred and twenty-five dollars cash. Just twenty-five shy of my goal.  
Despite being short, Mandy was dragging me back to the weasel vendor. Was she going to rub it in my face? Calling her evil in front of the audience was a joke. I hadn’t meant to hurt her feelings or anything.  
Before long, we were back at the stall.  
“We’re back,” Mandy chimed.  
“Well that was fast,” the weasel noted. “You got the cash?”  
“Sorry but-”  
“Yes, we do,” Mandy cut in, giving me stern look.  
“Alright, let’s see it,” he ordered, crossing his arms.  
I put my winnings on the table and he started counting.  
“We agreed on a hundred and fifty,” the vendor reminded us. “You’re short twenty-five.”  
“I think you forgot this,” Mandy said, pointing to two bills on the table.  
“Well with that, I’d say you’re on point. Congratulations, you’re now the proud owner of a keyboard.”  
The weasel got of his chair and walked into the back of his stall.  
“Mandy, you didn’t have to do that,” I told her.  
“No, but I wanted to.”  
“Why?”  
“Because-”  
“Here you go,” the weasel offered the boxed keyboard between the two of us.  
“Thanks,” I replied, taking the instrument.  
As we left the stall, I couldn’t help but notice that Mandy was looking at the ground.  
“Mandy? Are you okay?”  
“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine,” she said evasively while rubbing her neck. “Why don’t we grab something to eat? And maybe find Nick and Judy later.”  
“Good idea, I’m starving after that show,” I replied. “And I can’t wait to show them my new keyboard.”

********** **


	16. Social News

It wasn’t long before we found our friends. Nick and Judy were sitting at a small table in front of a bakery stall, happily enjoying a couple of pieces of pie.   
“Oh! Mandy! Sean! You guys really need to try a piece,” Judy perked up as we got closer. “This is like heaven.”  
“She’s not lying,” Nick agreed as he took another bite.   
I looked over to the stall where a burly looking fox was serving customers, ‘Gideon Grey’s Real Good Baked Stuff’ a poster read next to it. Not exactly the catchiest of names, if I had to say, but it got the message across and seemed to be enjoying a very good business streak by the look of the line.   
“Hey Gideon! Can we get a couple of slices for my friends here?” Judy called out.   
The fox looked over in our direction and waved.   
“Come on, take a seat,” the bunny ushered us. “Gideon’s pies are just the best. He’s been working with my family for a couple of years now and my parents are loving the business it brings in.”   
“Not only that, but mah goods are tastin’ better than ever,” Gideon added as he brought some plates to the table. “That last harvest seems like it was the best one yet.”  
“Gideon, these are my new friends, Sean and Mandy,” Judy introduced us.   
“Ah gotta say Judy, you sure meet some int’restin’ people,” the fox commented as he shook my hand, his voice having a mild country accent.   
“It comes along with the job,” Nick commented.   
“Right,” Gideon laughed. “In fact, you’re here because Judy became a cop. Ain’t that right?”   
“Yes, yes it is,” Nick grinned as he looked over to Judy.   
She wasn’t noticing any of this however.   
“Well? Go ahead, try it!” She was pushing us.

I helped myself to one of the plates and took a bite out of the pie. It was delicious; the crust flaked away as the taste of blueberries filled my mouth. Not too sweet, but not too tart either. Before I knew it, the pie was gone.   
“Gosh, you must’ve been hungry,” Gideon voiced.   
“I think it helped that you’re pie was so good,” I chuckled.   
“Well, it’s always nice to have another happy customer,” the fox grinned with obvious pride.   
“What about you Mandy?” I asked the otter. “What do you think?”   
She was staring intently at her half-finished pie, fork hovering near her mouth.   
“Maybe if there was a bit more salt in the filling?” She mumbled. “No, the crust… Salty crust, more sour in the filling. Maybe lemon?”   
I gave a light smack to the back of her head; she shot me a look that shouted ‘what-was-that-for?’.  
“Just say you like the pie,” I scolded.   
“Oh, right,” she quietly replied before giving a wide smile to Gideon. “It’s great!”   
The trio laughed at the exchange, Nick almost bent over completely while Judy was rolling in her seat. I could already feel the teasing I was going to get later from the fox. Gideon’s laugh was the heartiest of the three, and he smiled at Mandy when he finished.   
“Ah’ll be sure to think about that, Mandy,” He told her; most likely referring to her comments on the taste. “Ah’ve gotta be getting’ back to mah stall though, it was nice meeting you.”   
And with that, the burly fox returned to his booth; the line seeming to have gotten considerably longer since he left.  
“So what’ve you guys been doing this morning?” Judy wheezed as she finished her laughing fit. 

“Oh, nothing much,” Mandy answered as she finished up her pie. “We visited a haunted house, ate cotton candy, bought a keyboard-”   
“You guys bought a keyboard?” Nick cut in.   
“Yeah, it’s right there,” I said, showing him the box that I had propped against the table.   
He pulled it closer to him and peered inside.   
“Yup, definitely a keyboard,” he announced.   
“What, did you think we got hustled?” I asked.   
“Hey, it could’ve happened,” he shrugged. “How much did that set you back?”   
“Twenty-five,” Mandy flatly replied.   
“Sounds like you guys are the ones who did the hustling,” Judy commented with arms crossed.   
“We didn’t hustle anyone,” I pointed out.   
“Then explain how you two got your paws on a keyboard for twenty-five dollars!” she angrily shouted.   
“Judy, calm down,” Mandy told her. “I paid twenty-five for the keyboard, while Sean paid a hundred and twenty-five.”   
“As far as I know, he’s broke,” Judy stated. “So where did you get a hundred and twenty-five dollars, mister?”   
“I won it in a talent competition!” I admitted.   
“You what?”   
“I wanted to buy the keyboard so I’d have something to do and Mandy thought it was a good idea,” I explained from the top. “She found out that your sister, Heather, was holding a talent competition with a cash prize and had me signed up. I won second place and was short by twenty-five dollars to pay for the instrument-”   
“So I pitched in a little,” Mandy finished. “I didn’t think it would’ve been fair to have pushed you through that for nothing.”   
“I would’ve had a hundred and twenty-five dollars,” I pointed out. “I wouldn’t consider that nothing.”   
“True, but you were bummed out about not being able to afford the instrument even with all the effort,” she reminded me.   
I decided not to respond, she was right; I wouldn’t have been able to get it out of my head for the rest of the day if she hadn’t pitched in. I looked over to Judy, expecting her to be relieved that I hadn’t stolen the money, to find that her eyes were as wide as they could possibly be.   
“Umm, Judy? Are you okay?” I asked her.   
“Do you realize what you two did?” She asked in response.   
“I’m not following.”   
“My sister is an actress, and most likely has a few fans following her everywhere,” she explained. “And I’m certain that being on stage would be a very good place for some photos.”   
I still wasn’t catching the point, but that didn’t stop Mandy from sucking in her breath. I looked over to find her taking out her phone and furiously start tapping away, constantly muttering something under her breath.   
“Okay, Judy, I’m still not following,” I admitted. “Can someone explain to me what’s going on?”   
“I think what Carrots is trying to get at is someone may have taken a picture of you while you were on stage with Heather,” Nick pitched. “But that’s only if you were actually on-stage with her.”   
“She handed me the mic as I stepped on-stage,” I told him.   
“Yep, we’re cooked,” the fox stated as he slumped in his seat.   
“That’s still not explaining to me what’s wrong with the situation!” I exasperated.   
“Sean, if any media sources get a hold of your picture, they’ll swarm on your last known location,” Judy explained. “You still don’t have any proper identification, so we can’t risk you being all over the news.”   
I blinked. I hadn’t thought of that; my situation with the news wasn’t exactly first on my list of priorities before.   
“Okay, right, can’t let the news see me just yet,” I gasped. “But maybe it won’t happen. It would take at least a few days, right?”   
I chuckled nervously; the news was always late to the party on these sorts of things. We shouldn’t have to worry about it.   
“Guys, I’ve got bad news,” Mandy piped up.   
Oh shit.   
“Sean’s photo was taken at the competition and is circulating on FurChan forums,” she announced. “And its gaining popularity.”   
“If I know anything about social media, this’ll explode in about an hour,” Nick added as he got up.   
“We better get packing then,” Judy decided, following him.

I grabbed my keyboard and started making my way with the duo before realizing that Mandy was still sitting at the table. I walked back over to her and told her we had to go; she just continued to blankly stare down at the table.   
“This is all my fault,” she softly voiced.   
“What are you talking about, it’s my photo that’s on the net.”   
“From the beginning, it’s been all my fault,” she continued.   
I didn’t understand what she was getting at, but I didn’t care at the moment.   
“Mandy, come on, we’ve gotta go.”   
“Why did I have to do it?”   
“Mandy!” I yelled as I grabbed her shoulders. “Let’s go!”   
She looked at me with wide eyes as I held her. As they started to water, she broke away from my grasp and ran in the same direction as Nick and Judy.   
This isn’t going to end well.


	17. Belongings

I watched as Mandy ran off past Nick and Judy; the two were stunned by her sudden burst passed them and immediately looked to me for answers, the bunny sporting an obvious scowl.   
“I got nothing,” I admitted with an open shrug.   
“Sean, what did you do?” Judy pressed.   
“I don’t- I did nothing!” I defended.   
“You sent a girl running and crying, I’d call that something,” Nick pointed out with a raised brow.   
“She was moping in her seat saying it was all her fault,” I explained. “I was just trying to get her moving.”   
Judy marched over to me with clenched fists, her eyes firing daggers.   
“If I learn that you hit her, I swear to god I’ll have you locked up until your papers get processed,” she threatened before storming off after Mandy; Nick giving her a wide berth.   
“I haven’t seen her that mad since… Wow,” he remarked.   
“Nick, I swear, I did not hit Mandy,” I said, wanting to lay all my cards down.   
“Hey, I’m not the one you should be telling that to,” the fox stated as he started walking again. “Now let’s get going, Carrots doesn’t like waiting.”

It didn’t take long to pack our things, since we had only spent about two days visiting. All I had to pack were the couple of souvenirs I had received: my Carrots Day Festival T-shirt, which Judy hustled from Finnick, and a map of the Hopps Burrow that one of Judy’s older sisters made for me. With my new keyboard set next to my suitcase, I sat on the couch waiting for Nick to gather up his things. Not to say that he was messy, but I wouldn’t exactly call his stuff organized either. The fox had somehow managed to throw half of his suitcase over a good portion of the room; so he was running around picking up shirts and ties, and shoving them into his bag.  
As the frantic fox was looking for his final Hawaiian shirt, I picked up the ‘Kingdom Animalia’ encyclopedia that I had left on the table that morning. I felt that I should probably take it with me; I had a fairly limited base of knowledge when it came to animals, I don’t think I could get anywhere far without some form of information to fall back on. Sure, I had the internet available to me now, but there was something about a physical book that made it feel like the information it held was more genuine.   
“So I’ve heard that you’ll be leaving us today.”   
I looked up to find Bonnie standing in the doorway.   
“Unfortunately, yes, Mrs. Hopps,” Nick answered while striding across the room looking everywhere. “Mr. Talent-Show here decided to get noticed and we’ll be swarmed if we don’t leave soon. Where is that damn shirt?”   
“Is this what you’re looking for, Nick?” The bunny asked as she bent down and pulled a dusty green shirt from under the couch.   
“Yes! Thank you!” He sighed in relief as he took the shirt and brushed of the dust.   
“Is Sean famous or something?” Bonnie asked.   
“Not... Really,” the fox grunted as he tried to push his suitcase closed. “He’s more likely… To become infamous… Given the situation…”   
I got up and helped Nick hold the suitcase shut as he zipped it up, meriting me a smile of gratitude from the fox.   
“Well I’m sorry to hear that,” Bonnie continued. “Since you four are leaving early, though, I made you all some sandwiches for later. Judy has them packed with her things.”   
“Thanks Mrs. Hopps,” I said.   
“Oh, it’s nothing,” she bashfully replied with a smile. “I hope you all have a good trip. And I hope you keep my daughter safe, Nick.”   
He gave her a tender smile as Bonnie made her way to leave.  
I looked over at the encyclopedia one last time before asking her:   
“Mrs. Hopps? Would you mind if I borrowed this book?”   
She turned to see the encyclopedia I was gesturing to, and gave me another smile.   
“Not at all Sean. In fact, why don’t you keep it?” The bunny offered.   
“Are you sure? I’d return it as soon as I got my own copy,” I suggested.   
“I don’t think anyone will miss that old thing,” she said. “And I’m pretty sure you’d have a hard time finding another copy.”   
“Why is that?” Nick asked.   
“Because that book was printed when I was a kit,” Bonnie explained as she took as seat. “My grandfather gave it to me as a birthday present when I was little, saying that knowledge of others was the foundation of understanding. I was too young to understand what he meant and pretty quickly forgot about this.”   
She picked up the book and stroked the cover, giving out a sigh as if she was remembering a long lost memory.   
“After all these years, I don’t think anyone has ever given it a serious thought,” the bunny continued. “So I would like you to have it. I’ve got a good feeling that you’ll put it through its paces.”   
And with that, she offered the encyclopedia to me. I gladly accepted the gift; knowing full well that I’d read it a lot. I placed it with my other souvenirs and we made our way out.

The ride out of Bunnyburrow was a lot quieter than the ride in. Mandy was at the wheel this time around and Judy had occupied the passenger seat, leaving the back for me and Nick. The otter had avoided looking at me the entire time we had been packing the van; I had gotten the hint and was now sitting right behind her. Out of sight, out of mind.   
“So... Anyone mind sharing where we’re headed?” Nick asked after a while.   
I saw Judy looking over at Mandy with same question on her face, but they were met with silence.   
“I think it would be better to ask later, Nick,” the bunny replied after a moment.   
And so the trip continued, at least until the sun started to go down.   
Judy directed Mandy down a side road through a small forest, putting the way ahead in even greater darkness. We eventually parked at a rest area, a modest picnic table being the only indication it was one, where Judy hopped out of the car and opened up the back.   
“Alright, do either of you know how to pitch up a tent?” Judy asked me and Nick as she grabbed a box.   
“Carrots, are we seriously camping out here?” The fox blatantly questioned.   
“No, I was thinking that we go sleep in the trees. Of course we’re camping out!” She retorted. “So do you know how to pitch a tent?”   
“I’m a city fox. I don’t camp,” Nick bluntly replied.   
“Sean?”   
“I camped out in my parent’s backyard, once,” I admitted. “So, I guess?”   
“Alright, Nick you’re helping me set up the tent,” Judy decided before marching off towards the picnic table.   
“Now wait a second… Carrots!” Nick cried out as he chased after the bunny.   
I couldn’t help but chuckle. She really did like him; I could see it full well now. As I waited for the two to finish making the tent, I fished out my phone again and continued organizing my music files. As I was remaking playlists and getting rid of songs, it took a while before I realized that Mandy was sitting next to me. Knowing she was there made me a bit uneasy, I still wasn’t sure what to make of whatever happened earlier.   
“Hey,” I said, trying to ease into some form of communication with her.   
“Hey,” the otter quietly replied.   
“Are you gonna be okay?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t pushing.   
“Mhmm,” she mumbled.   
We sat there silently for a few moments, the cries of Nick’s frustration echoing here and there.   
“I’m sorry,” Mandy eventually spoke up. “Judy said that she got mad at you because of me. I didn’t mean for you to get in trouble or anything, really.”   
“I’m not worried about that,” I told her. “I’m more concerned about what happened before that. Why were you crying?”   
It looked like it wasn’t an easy question for her to answer. She just looked at me with a half-blank stare, holding her breath. She finally let go a sigh before answering:   
“I’m not that great at dealing with failure,” the otter admitted, holding her head in her paws. “I just can’t seem to get over the fact that I know that I can do better. So when I realized that it was my fault that you were seen… I just cracked.”   
I sat there next to her, taking it in. Here was the gung-ho leader and brainiac otter, moping over the fact that she hated her own failures. I know everyone has their faults, but that was one hell of a doozy.   
“But what about that part when you said that it was your fault ‘from the beginning’?” I asked after gathering some courage.   
She looked up at me with big blue eyes, looking like they were on the verge of tears. She sucked in a breath and wiped them clean.   
“Remember when you first arrived in Zootopia?” She asked.   
“Kind of hard not to,” I rhetorically replied, winning a smile on her face.   
“Well, as you know, I’m the leader of the TelePortal project that brought you here,” Mandy explained. “And I’m also the one who activated the device for its first test…”   
“Which resulted in me getting sucked here,” I finished.   
“But before that happened, I caused a major blackout,” she quietly shared.   
Ouch. That would bring anyone down, but with her attitude it must’ve been catastrophic.   
“But hey! I can’t change what happened!” The otter tried joking it off, failing miserably.   
“Mandy. I may not be an otter like you, but I can tell that you’re having a hard time with it,” I told her.   
She let her fake smile drop from her face, slumping in her seat. I figured she needed something to take her mind off these failures, so I looked around the van for anything at all. I noticed a few outlets in the sidings.   
“Hey Mandy, what are those for?” I asked, pointing at the outlets.   
“Huh?” She voiced, snapping back to reality. “Oh those? Well, I knew that I’d need some form of power for certain pieces of equipment when I planned this out as a mobile lab. So I had a few of these outlets installed and hooked up to the car battery.”   
“So they work like a regular wall outlet?”  
“They are regular wall outlets.”   
“Right… Um, would you mind if I tried out my keyboard then?” I hesitantly asked.   
“You know what? Yeah… Let’s see how it plays,” she softly grinned. 

It took only a minute to set up the keyboard. We set the stand just outside of the back of the van, using the floor as seating; Mandy sat next to me, her legs swaying off the end. From our perspective, the otter and I could see the soon-to-be tent being propped up and falling over repeatedly; most likely due to Nick, as his swearing kept on getting worse with each fall of the fabric and Judy could be seen directing him.   
Drawing my attention away from the comedy of the situation, I turned on the keyboard and tested the keys. I played notes here and there, trying to get to know which was where; the entire time it sounded nonsensical. Mandy didn’t seem to mind though; she just watched my fingers play on the instrument. After what felt like a fair amount of time, I decided to try and play my first tune; I had found the notes I needed, and I still had some amount of time to play, what with the tent still not being ready. I took a deep breath and started slowly.   
I played the tune almost hesitantly, not really wanting to rush it, but still wanting to keep a fair tempo. It may have sounded sad, but the actual song is meant to be hopeful, I couldn’t help but sing along in my head and as the tune reached its end I voiced it’s last lyrics:   
“I will go most anywhere, to find where I… Belong,” I sang softly.   
I felt Mandy lay her head against my arm. I looked down to find that her eyes were closed and she had a smile on her face.   
“Mandy?”   
“You belong here…” She mumbled, most likely half asleep.   
I couldn’t help but smile myself.


	18. Reservations

(Note to self: The internet will always produce crazy stuff)

As I scanned my menu, I couldn’t help but feel the annoyed eyes of three mammals on me; and I couldn’t blame them. We had arrived in the roadside diner twenty minutes ago and I still haven’t decided what to eat for breakfast.  
“Can you just pick something so we can order, already?” Nick spat next to me.  
“Well excuse me for wanting to be able to eat something that won’t come back up,” I shot back from under my hood.  
“You know, you could just order from the prey menu,” Judy lazily suggested.  
“I’ve had enough flimsy meals to last me a lifetime, thank you.”  
“Hey!”  
“I would suggest some fish, but I already checked and they don’t serve any here,” I heard Mandy mutter.  
Frustrated by the banter and the hunger, I dropped menu on the table.  
“Fine, I give up, cheese omelet it is,” I announced, defeated.  
Groans of relief and satisfaction rose from my friends as I waved down a waitress so she could take our orders.

“Seriously though, why are you such a picky eater?” Mandy asked as she chewed through a stack of waffles.  
I stopped cutting a piece off my omelet and glared at her.  
“I’m just asking,” the otter defended.  
“Sean didn’t exactly enjoy his first taste of our cuisine when he arrived,” Nick responded.  
“What happened?”  
“Let’s just say that the food didn’t stay down,” Judy answered.  
I just stayed silent, trying to eat while the three conjured up memories of that god-awful pizza in my mind. Already I wasn’t a fan of cheese omelets, but it was the only consistent item that I could find on the menu that wasn’t a bowl of cereal. And now they had me remembering the worst meal I had ever had.  
“I’m not hungry anymore,” I said as I got up from my half-eaten omelet and walked out.  
“Sean, wait!” I heard Judy call out.  
I didn’t care; I was already out of the diner and planned on sitting in the van.

Not too long after, the van door opened up and there stood Mandy, holding what looked like a doggy bag and a styrofoam container.  
“Here to question me about my eating habits?” I asked rhetorically.  
“No,” the otter answered as she stepped inside and closed the door. “I’m here on the pretense to apologize and to give you the rest of the omelet you left behind.”  
She handed me the styrofoam container; inside was my omelet, just as she suggested.  
“I’m sorry for the rude question,” Mandy apologized, her head hanging. “It’s just that I’ve noticed the faces you’ve made, regarding the food here, and I couldn’t help but ask…”  
“I guess here, you could consider me a picky eater,” I said, poking at the leftover omelet. “It’s just that… I don’t eat bugs.”  
“Well, no duh,” she deadpanned. “I get that, you don’t eat bugs, but why the outright fear and disgust I saw, when I ate that cicada burger the other day.”  
I shuddered as I remembered that.  
“There it is again,” the otter pointed out. “Why do you-?”  
“I had a really bad experience, okay!” I exploded, causing her to jump in her seat.  
“Oh…” Mandy simply replied, looking down again.  
I sighed and stared at the ceiling of the van, it probably would be better to explain it to her.  
“The first night I arrived here, Nick and Judy took me out to eat some pizza,” I started. “Nick ordered for the both of us and Judy had her own pizza made. I was so hungry at the time that I didn’t question his judgement, and took a huge bite as soon as it was in front of me.  
“The taste and texture felt wrong, but I swallowed it anyway. I asked Nick what was in the pizza, but he didn’t care to answer; so I asked our waitress what was in it. I don’t remember most of the ingredients she listed, but cockroaches were definitely one of them, and I felt like throwing up when she said it.”  
Mandy’s eyes went wide when I mentioned this.  
“And you…?”  
“Yeah,” I answered her unasked question. “In the bathroom.”  
She just mouthed a ‘wow’ in response.

“How long do you think they’ll be eating for?” I asked Mandy as I finished up my omelet.  
“Probably not much longer,” she replied, stuffing the last of her waffle in her mouth. “Hopefully, I’ll have enough time to check on somtheing.”  
“And what would that be?”  
The otter swallowed her waffle and jumped into the back of the van without a word. I shifted in my seat to find her unzipping a suitcase.  
“What are you-?”  
“Keep an eye out for them for me,” she ordered, rifling through the suitcase.  
I turned back towards the front of the van, watching the diner entrance for Judy and Nick.  
“So what are you looking for?” I asked.  
“A very important piece of clothing,” Mandy simply answered.  
“Is this a girl thing or something actually important?”  
She groaned in annoyance.  
“Actually important,” the otter replied. “Where we’re going, Judy’s going to need every edge she needs to win over Nick.”  
The wording tipped me off.  
“Wait, are you going through Judy’s things!?” I questioned, turning around.  
“Aha! There it is!” She exclaimed, ignoring me.  
She held in her outstretched paws a small piece of black cloth. As she unfolded it, it took on a distinct shape.  
“Is that-?”  
“Judy’s swimsuit,” Mandy finished, holding the one-piece suit up.  
The otter flipped it around and stretched it before giving a big frown.  
“Yeah, this isn’t going to work,” she announced.  
“What won’t work?” I asked.  
“It’s not flattering enough, nor is it tight enough,” she explained. “She’ll need something a bit more revealing than this old thing.”  
And with that, she got up and opened the back door and tossed the swimsuit under the van.  
“Umm, Mandy? I’m lost,” I told her. “Where are you going with this?”  
“Judy’s going to need a swimsuit where we’re going,” Mandy explained. “And I’m going to help her pick a new one out.”  
“Okay, but where are we going?”

“ _Kuzcotopia Resort & Waterpark_,” Nick read the brochure as we pulled up into the parking lot of said resort. “ _The ultimate summer getaway for friends and family_. Sounds charming.”  
“It’s amazing, that’s what it is,” Mandy exclaimed. “My parents used to take me here every year, when I was a pup.”  
“Sounds like you made a lot of good memories here,” Judy commented as I parked the van.  
“Yup, and I plan on making more,” the otter replied as she got out. “You guys grab the bags; I’ll take care of the check-in.”  
The three of us went to collect our things as Mandy scurried off to the lobby.  
“Well she seems a lot more upbeat than usual,” Nick commented as I passed him his suitcase.  
“Obviously, this place means a lot to her,” I suggested. “She was practically on the edge of her seat when we came into view.”  
“Yeah, Nick,” Judy agreed. “So don’t go doing anything to ruin it.”  
“And why are we assuming that I’ll be doing anything like that?” The fox questioned.  
“We both know you like to stir up trouble,” the bunny answered with a sly grin.  
“Only in good fun, Carrots,” he replied in kind.  
“Alright, you two,” I said as I closed the van. “Let’s not keep Mandy waiting.”

As we stepped into the lobby, we couldn’t help but notice the otter frantically arguing with the clerk, a black jaguar.  
“I’m sorry, Miss, but I just can’t accept this,” she kindly told Mandy.  
“What are you talking about? I’m a lifetime member here, the card even says so,” the otter replied, gesturing to the card the jaguar held.  
Judy walked up to the desk next to Mandy.  
“Is something wrong here?” She asked the otter.  
“Yeah, she won’t accept my membership card and give me my discount,” Mandy pouted.  
“Miss, I’ve never even heard of this membership discount,” the Jaguar stated.  
“Well I’ll have you know that I’ve been paying for that membership for the past six years!” The otter shouted, causing other animals in the lobby to give our group some stares.  
“I think it would be best if you called the manager to help sort this out,” Judy suggested to the clerk.  
The jaguar nodded and picked up the phone. A moment later, she told us that the manager would be right with us and suggested that we sit down as we waited.

“I can’t believe that they’re rejecting my membership!” Mandy growled as she sat down.  
“Mind me asking what this membership entails?” Nick asked as he leaned against one of the armchairs.  
The otter exhaled, most likely to calm herself, before replying:  
“For a flat rate of a hundred dollars a year, my membership is supposed to provide me with a guaranteed room, at half price; regardless of whether or not I booked in advance or show up unexpected, like now. I’m also supposed to get a free pass to the waterpark included.”  
“And for some reason, they’re not accepting your membership?” The fox prodded.  
“Yes.”  
“And you’ve been paying for the past six years,” he continued.  
“Yes.”  
“And for some reason, the clerk seems to not have ever heard of it, ever.”  
“That’s what she said, and I call bullshit,” Mandy growled.  
“Carrots, what do you make of this?” Nick asked Judy, who had been tapping her foot the entire time.  
“I say something smells fishy,” the bunny replied.  
“Is there a problem I can help you with?” A white lynx asked as she walked up behind Judy.  
She whirled around to see who had spoken and backed up as she did so. I didn’t blame her; the lynx had a very intimidating look in her purple collared suit. She had even dyed some of the fur on the tips of her ears a faint shade of same colour.  
“Not unless you’re the manager,” I spoke up, causing the lynx to stare at me.  
“I just so happen to be the manager of this establishment,” she declared, gesturing to the lobby. “Amy Sumac, at your service.”  
“Your nametag says ‘Amzy’,” Mandy pointed out.  
“I know,” Amy replied with a frown. “It’s a typo, and these things are too expensive to bother replacing. Now, I heard from our clerk that you seem to be experiencing a problem?”  
“Yes, regarding my membership,” the otter stated.  
“Membership…” The lynx repeated as she brought a paw to her chin. “Oh! You must mean the special Loyalty Membership we used to offer!”  
“I’m sorry, ‘used to’?” Mandy asked.  
“Yes, we stopped catering to that program only just last month,” the manager quickly explained. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you weren’t informed, we’ve been a bit understaffed as of late.”  
“But I paid for the renewal of that membership just last week,” the otter exclaimed. “And it went through.”  
“Oh, um, I’m sorry to hear that,” Amy replied, seemingly off-put by the information. “Would you like us to offer you a refund?”  
“I would actually prefer if it went towards a room instead,” Mandy countered with crossed arms.  
“I’m sorry, but we’re completely booked,” the lynx quickly informed us.  
The otter glared at the manager for a long moment.  
“Fine, I’ll take the refund.”

“Here you go, Miss,” the clerk said as she handed Mandy’s refund over to her. “I hope you have better luck next time.”  
Mandy silently took her money and walked away from the counter, grabbing her suitcase. As we were about to leave the lobby, we were stopped by a scarlet-suited llama that had just entered.  
“More guests leaving, I see,” he sighed. “I hope you had a good stay, at least.”  
“Actually, we only got here fifteen minutes ago,” Nick flatly replied.  
“Hold the phone; are you saying that you haven’t even stayed here for a day?” The llama questioned with a look of shock.  
“Yes,” Mandy bitterly replied as she stared at the tile floor. “We would’ve stayed, but apparently everything’s booked.”  
“Well that sucks,” the llama pouted. “The whole reason why I had this resort built was so that my guests wouldn’t have to stay so far from the waterpark.”  
“What do you mean by ‘you had this resort built’?” I asked.  
“Because I own the place, silly,” he innocently replied with open arms.  
Mandy looked up at the llama as she heard that and her eyes went wide.  
“You’re…” She quietly started.  
The llama smiled down at her.  
“Come on, you can say it,” he encouraged her.  
“You’re…”  
“Just a little more.”  
“You’re Kuzco!”  
“Boom, Baby!” Kuzco exclaimed.


	19. Suits & Suites

I’ve heard of people being egotistical, but the crimson dressed llama in front of me takes the cake. He not only claimed to be the owner of the resort we were about to leave, but also to have had it named after himself. And judging by the starry-eyed gaze that Mandy was giving him, it was all true.  
“You’re Kuzco Manco!” The otter excitedly repeated.  
“Yes, yes, that’s me,” Kuzco replied in a flattered tone. “And now that we’ve got that out of the way, we need to fix your problem.”  
“Problem?” I absently asked.  
“You guys need rooms, correct?” The llama pointed out.  
“Yes,” Judy replied, stepping forward towards our host. “But we’ve already asked at the desk and they said that there are no more rooms available.”  
Kuzco just waved a hoof in a disapproving manner.  
“Silly little bunny,” he told her. “That’s because I wasn’t there to help you out. Come with me, I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”  
As he finished, the llama walked past us and made his way to the front desk. Judy just looked at him in disbelief.  
“Did he just-?”  
“Let it go, Carrots,” Nick whispered through his teeth, hushing the bunny.

"Alright honey, I need to know which rooms are available. Stat."  
Kuzco was casually leaning against the front desk, speaking to the clerk.  
"Sir, unless you have a reservation, we have no rooms available," the jaguar responded without looking up from her computer.  
The llama gave a heavy sigh before turning towards the clerk.  
"Okay... Sally," he responded after reading her nametag. "You probably don't know about this, but there's always room for me."  
This caused the jaguar to look up with an annoyed look on her face; a look which quickly turned to fear when she saw who she was talking to.  
"M-Mr. Manco," Sally stuttered. "I'm sorry, I mean, of course we'll accomodate you."  
"Oh no, not for me, for my friends," Kuzco replied, gesturing to me and the rest of my group.  
The jaguar looked to us and gave a weak chuckle.  
"Sir, if it was just one guest, then I'm sure we could work something out. But we're talking about four mammals here."  
"Well, how many rooms do we have that'll fit the bill?" Kuzco questioned.  
"Umm..."  
Sally shifted to her computer and started typing up a storm, leaving the llama to turn to us with a wide smile on his face.  
"See? Everything's gonna be fine," he assured us. "You'll get your room and be able to stay close to the waterpark.”  
“Kuzco, might I ask what it is you are doing?” An eerily familiar voice snarled behind me.  
I nearly jumped out of my skin when I turned to find the manager leering over my shoulder.  
“Amzy!” Kuzco greeted.  
“It’s Amy,” the lynx growled.  
“Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe,” He dismissed. “I’m helping my friends here get a room to stay.”  
“Kuzco, I hate to rain down on your parade, but I’ve already informed your guests that we have no rooms available.”  
“She’s right Mr. Manco,” Judy added. “We asked for her help earlier and she told us that everything was already booked.”  
“Well like I said before, it’s because I wasn’t there to help out,” the llama defended in a righteous tone. “Now, how’s the search going Sally?”  
“I think I’ve found a big enough room, but it’s… Booked…”  
She trailed off as she looked up, her eyes focusing on the lynx.  
“Oh! Miss Sumac!” The jaguar giggled nervously. “I was just helping Mr. Manco with a problem.”  
Miss Sumac just crossed her arms in silence.  
“Right. As I was saying, Mr. Manco, I’ve found a room, but it’s already booked,” Sally nervously told him.  
“Hmm,” Kuzco audibly sounded as he obviously thought out the situation. “Is the guest who reserved the room staying there right now?”  
“Uh… No.”  
“And when is the guest expected to arrive?”  
“In…” The jaguar took another glance at her monitor. “Two days, sir.”  
The llama turned to me and my friends once again.  
“How long were you guys planning to stay, again?” He asked.  
Judy made to answer for all of us:  
“We never-”  
“Two days,” Nick sharply cut in.  
“Then the room’s yours for two days, expenses are on me,” Kuzco smiled before returning his attention to the clerk. “Now which room was it?”

Miss Sumac opened the door to a wide living space with ceiling high windows that looked upon the Rainforest District below.  
“Welcome to the Emperor Suite,” she unenthusiastically said as she sauntered inside. “Our highest regarded room; usually reserved for elite VIPs. And due to the gracious charity granted by Kuzco, you have the room for two days.”  
“Thank you, thank you, no need for applause,” the llama stated as he made his way past us. “I’ll give them the tour Amzy, you go do… Manager stuff.”  
She blinked at Kuzco a few times; most likely angry by the name.  
“Very well, Kuzco. I have more urgent business to attend to anyway,” the lynx announced before marching out of the room.  
“So? What do you think? Is this cool or what?” The llama excitedly asked.  
Had I not been used to the penthouse apartment in Savannah Square, I probably would’ve been at a loss for words at what just happened. Much like Mandy was. From what she had said, this place was like a childhood paradise for her. And now she was staying in the best room in the resort, I couldn’t blame her for being speechless.  
True to his word, Kuzco gave the full tour of the suite. The main floor was mostly living space with a kitchenette and dining area on one side, while a staircase led to two full sized bedrooms with adjoining bathrooms on the second floor. The place was huge for just the four of us, but who am I to complain; we have it for two whole days, free of charge.  
“… And that’s about it,” the llama said as he finished the tour.  
“Mr. Manco-”  
“Please, just Kuzco,” he asked, cutting Judy off.  
The bunny cleared her throat before continuing.  
“Kuzco, we’ve been wondering about a few things and would like to ask you a few questions,” she stated.  
He seemed a bit put off by that fact.  
“Really? Well… It just so happens that I have a few questions for you guys too,” Kuzco replied. “Tell you what. How about… We discuss those over dinner.”  
First the owner comps us the best room in the resort and now he’s asking us to join him for dinner. I must be dreaming or something.  
“Yep, I’m inviting you all to dinner,” he decided. “I’ll have Security come pick you guys up later tonight. Say… five-thirty? Cool! See you guys later!”  
And with that, he left us all dumbstruck as he left the suite.  
“Okay, somebody pinch me. ‘Cause I must be dreaming,” Mandy finally spoke up. 

“So we’ve got the best room in the resort, what are doing now?” Nick asked to no one in particular as he unpacked his suitcase.  
“Well I was thinking that it would be a good idea to go get our passes for the waterpark!” Mandy offered from the other room. “That’s what we came here for anyway!”  
“I’m with Mandy on that!” Judy acknowledged from the same room.  
Nick looked to me as if he were expecting me to answer as well. I just shrugged, I wasn’t in any rush, but I wasn’t going to argue either.  
“Okay, Waterpark Passes it is then,” Nick decided. “And if we go in our swimsuits, then maybe we can get a few hours in before dinner.”  
“One problem,” I said. “I don’t have a swimsuit.”  
Nick looked at me with defeated look.  
“How was I supposed to know that we’d be going to a waterpark?” I defended.  
“It’s fine,” Nick replied. “Besides, it’s not like you’ll take forever picking out a swimsuit. I mean, it’s just you who needs one, right?”  
“Actually… I’ll be needing a new one as well.”  
We both looked over to the bedroom doorway to find Judy with an embarrassed look on her face.  
“Carrots, what are you talking about?”  
“I may have misplaced the swimsuit that I packed.”  
No, Mandy did.  
“So you need to get a new one?”  
Judy nodded, causing Nick to groan loudly.  
“Okay, new plan,” the fox offered. “You and Sean will go get new swimsuits while me and Mandy go get our passes. We’ll be waiting for you guys at the entrance. You okay with that Mandy!?”  
The otter peeked out from the doorway with an unsure look on her face.  
“Uh… Okay,” she said with a meek smile.  
“Good. Let’s get going,” Nick ordered as he walked out of the room and led us out.

While Nick and Mandy made their way to the waterpark, Judy and I found our way to the resort giftshop where they had a decent selection of swimsuits. I had no problems finding one that I liked, a pair of deep orange trunks, but Judy seemed to always have second thoughts on what to pick. And I would’ve left her to her own devices, if it weren’t for the text that Mandy had sent me just after we parted ways: 

_Make sure that she picks a sexy outfit. ___

____

I had two problems with this. One, I wasn’t all that good with fashion-sense, and two, I had no idea what looked sexy on a bunny.  
I looked over at what Judy was debating with at the moment; she had a slim crimson one-piece with gold accents on the sides in one paw, and a black two-piece that had shorts for bottoms in the other paw. She was eyeing them up in the nearby mirror, but by the faces that she made, she didn’t seem to like either. I tried imagining both suits being worn by my ex, and concluded that neither looked all that sexy; in fact, they seemed intimidating. I needed to fix this fast.  
I looked around the swimsuits that were Judy’s size, trying to find something that seemed more appropriate for the occasion. After a few minutes of searching and a half dozen other swimsuits that Judy had rejected through her own perusal, I thought I found a winner. I unhooked it off the rack and walked up behind Judy, who was busy eyeing up another set of suits. I placed the swimsuit in front of her so that her reflection showed how it looked on her figure.  
“I think I’ll take it,” she smiled. “Thanks Sean.”  
“No problem,” I replied, proud that I made a nice decision.


	20. Sunshine & Smoothies

For the first time since I arrived in Zootopia, I was finally enjoying the sun. I mean, I never expected to have time off to just enjoy myself until recently, but it was nice nonetheless. And if I closed my eyes, it even sounded like a typical day at the pool back home, but that’s just wishful thinking. And even if I wanted to doze off in the sun, a certain fox next to me was grumbling the entire time.   
Nick was most certainly not acting like his usual cheerful self. Ever since Judy and I arrived at the waterpark entrance in our swimwear, he was nothing but moody. He had complimented on Judy’s new swimsuit along with Mandy, the otter giving me an approving wink as we put our stuff in our designated lockers. But other than that, the fox hid behind his sunglasses while sporting a blank face. 

Now, the two of us were resting in lounge chairs by one of the pools as the girls were splashing around in the water. Having just about enough of his sour mood, I sat up and gave him a slight punch to his shoulder, resulting in my friend jumping in surprise.   
“Come on, Nick, what is up with you?” I asked as the fox rubbed his sore shoulder.   
“What is up with me?” He repeated. “What is up with THAT? Why is Judy wearing THAT?”  
“What? Her swimsuit?” I asked in false innocence.   
“No. The firefighter suit she’s wearing. YES! HER SWIMSUIT!” He retorted between his teeth.   
“I was kidding, jeez,” I replied with my hands up. “What’s wrong with it?”  
“What’s wrong? You were with her when she bought it, how could you let her choose that?” Nick demanded, looking as if he was on the verge of a panic attack.   
I guess it would be best to NOT say that I was the one who chose it then.   
“Look, she seemed happy with it, so I let her buy it,” I said truthfully. “And besides, I’m not all that good with fashion; much less bunny fashion.”  
“Heh, I can see that,” the fox smirked.   
“Oh, like you could’ve suggested something better, Mr. Green Hawaiian Trunks?” I retaliated with my own smirk.   
“Hey, I like these, and I don’t care what you think,” he defended as he leaned back in his chair.   
“Then how about you stop judging Judy’s choice,” I suggested, causing the fox to frown again.   
“Kind of hard to do that,” I heard him softly say.   
He also grumbled on about something else, but the noise of splashes from the pool drowned him out. 

The sudden feeling of cold and wet on my back had me straightening out in surprise. I turned around to find Mandy and Judy laughing, still wet from having got out of the pool. No doubt that they thought it would be fun to get me all wet, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as well. And really, it didn’t matter what Nick thought, Judy looked nice in her suit. It was a cream-coloured two-piece: the bottom was decorated with a short skirt while the bikini top had a little carrot over her heart. Mandy’s however looked less for casual play and more for a sporting event; an ice-blue one-piece with a white stripe going straight down it just off-center, it even had the number ‘04’ in white on the back.   
“So are you two just going to sit there all day?” Judy asked as she recovered from her laughing fit.   
“Yes,” Nick answered without moving from his spot.   
“I don’t think I could spend any more time next to this guy right, now,” I shared. “And seeing as how I’m already half-soaked, I guess I’ll jump in.”  
“Well, me and Mandy were going to grab a couple of smoothies, did you guys want some?” She offered.   
“Blueberry,” the fox stated.   
“I’ll take orange, please,” I replied.   
“Okay.”  
And off she went with a smile, Mandy catching up to her immediately.   
“And there it goes,” I heard Nick quip behind me.   
I looked over to find him looking at the girls leaving, surprisingly with his trademark grin back on his face. I mentally facepalmed and shook my head at his statement. If my intuition was anything to go on, he was specifically looking at Judy, and even more specifically her little tail as it swished back and forth while she walked. I should’ve guessed that even here guys would still look at girls like that. As for me, I just smiled as I walked over to the pool, knowing that my mission was a success.

After having swum a couple of lengths in the pool, I let myself rest by hanging off the side on the warm concrete, almost dozing in the process.   
“You’re good, but your form could use some practice,” I heard a familiar voice above me.   
I opened my eyes to see Mandy sitting on the poolside with her feet in the water, her paws each holding a clear cup filled with coloured smoothie.   
“I’m not exactly looking to join a swim team, you know,” I replied as I hauled myself up next to her.   
She offered me the orange coloured drink as she took a sip of hers that was a coloured a soft yellow; maybe it was lemon?  
“Don’t go talking about swim teams with me, buddy, I’ve had my fair share,” the otter stated. “I’m just saying that you’re losing a lot of energy with the way you’re swimming.”  
“You know, I should’ve guessed you were part of a swim team.”  
“It’s the outfit, isn’t it?” She rhetorically asked.   
“Maybe a little,” I joked.   
“Swimmer number four of the Glacier High Icebergs, here and accounted for,” she playfully announced. “My parents wanted me to be on at least ONE sports team in school, and swimming is pretty much the only sport I’m good at.”  
“Wait, you’ve had that since high school?” I asked in surprise.   
“Yes, I’ve had this since high school,” Mandy admitted. “I like the colour and the design.”   
I nodded in agreement.   
“It looks good on you,” I said before taking a sip of my smoothie.   
Except that I realized that it wasn’t my smoothie. It tasted sweet, but it was missing the sour taste that usually accompanied citrus fruits. In fact, it tasted bitter near the end. It reminded me of…   
“Carrots.”  
“What?” Mandy asked, apparently confused by my sudden wording.   
“Just give me a second,” I said as I got up. “I think I have Judy’s drink by mistake.”  
“Oh my god,” the otter spurted as she tried to hold her laughter. “I’m so sorry!”  
“It’s fine, it’s an honest mistake,” I assured her.   
“No really, Sean, I’m sorry,” she giggled as she followed me around the pool. “Although you should be glad that you didn’t ask for a lemon smoothie, I probably would’ve mixed ours up in that case.”  
“Wait, why is that?” I asked, perplexed. “I thought you WERE drinking a lemon smoothie.”  
“This? Not even close,” Mandy admitted. “It’s a clam smoothie.”  
Yep, totally glad I asked for orange.


	21. Show & Tell

We were all ready for dinner, although Mandy seemed a bit worried about our clothing choices. While me, Nick and Judy were lounging on the couches, she was pacing back in forth, muttering to herself about being under-dressed for the occasion and other small details.  
"Should we, maybe, stop her?" I asked in a whisper.  
"That would probably be a good idea," Nick whispered back. "I'm starting to get dizzy from watching her."  
Judy merely facepalmed.  
Before I could do anything though, there was a knock on the door, causing the otter to stop in her tracks and stare at it.  
"I'll get it," I offered, already in the motion to stand.  
I opened up the suite to find myself staring at the opposite wall with no one in sight.  
"Down here, buddy."  
I mentally facepalmed before looking down. Standing in the hall was a broad-shouldered squirrel wearing what looked like a tuxedo.  
"Can I help you?" I asked.  
"I'm here to escort you and your friends to dinner with Mr. Manco," the squirrel replied with a surprisingly low voice.  
"You're Security?"  
"Kronk Nutburton, Head of Security here at the resort," he replied in a professional tone. "And there's no need to worry, I'm a trained professional. In fact, you would need two fully-trained police officers to feel just as safe as you are with me."  
I looked over my shoulder to the two off-duty officers in the suite.  
"Then I guess I feel pretty safe," I told Kronk. "Guys! Our escort is here."

Kronk led us to the dining hall on the main floor of the resort. Inside, many tables were filled with animals large and small, all of whom I assumed were guests from their casual dress. The squirrel ushered us to a table that was practically empty save for a llama in a white and red dress.  
"Hey Kronk!" She greeted the squirrel. "Are these the guests that Kuzco was talking about?"  
"That would be us," Judy confirmed.  
"Well then, if any of you need anything, feel free to call me," Kronk said as started walking off. "I'll go see if my brother needs help in the kitchen."  
We all sat down at the table and introduced ourselves before she did herself.  
"Malina Mata," the llama greeted. "I'm Kuzco's girlfriend."  
"Seriously?" Mandy said in apparent disbelief.  
"High School sweethearts," Malina emphasized.  
"Talk about a steady relationship," Nick commented.  
"Where is he now?" Judy asked as she was looking around the hall.  
"He's probably backstage for one of his ego trips," Malina chuckled.  
"What do you mean?" I asked.  
"Just wait and see, Kuzco will show," the llama replied while pointing towards the stage.  
A black-furred bear with a cream-coloured face was making their way onstage, dressed in a sleek suit. Reading off of a slip of paper, the bear proceeded to speak to the guests.  
"Welcome everyone, to the Kuzcotopia resort. I'm glad that you chose to join us for dinner this evening," he greeted. “My name is Pacha, I’ll be your MC for the night. And as a special surprise, we have the owner of the establishment joining in for the opening act tonight. Everyone please, give it up for my good friend, Mr. Manco.”  
Kuzco walked on stage with good cheers coming from the crowd, Pacha passing him the microphone as he walked off.  
“Thank you! Thank you! Pacha, thanks again for being here tonight, you really know how to sell it to the audience,” he smiled towards the bear. “As for all of you dining here tonight, I’ve come up with a little something special.”  
The llama snapped his hooves and the curtain behind him lifted, revealing a brass band and multiple musicians on percussion instruments along with small choir.  
“You’re up Tom!” Kuzco declared as he tossed the mic and headed for a free set of bongos.  
The microphone was caught by a lion dressed in a flashy white suit as the brass and percussions started up, following a very catchy rhythm. It didn’t take long for Tom to start singing.

...

**Is he hip or what?**   
**Kuzco…**   
**Don’t you know? He’s the king of the world**   
**Kuzco, Kuzco…**

********** **

The crowd applauded as the music died down, and I couldn’t help but join despite being stunned. That was more than an ego trip, that was a full-blown theme song to himself. I looked around the table to find Judy equally put off by the performance, while Nick was laughing his tail off. Malina was merely giggling while shaking her head. Looking back up to the stage, Pacha was taking the spotlight again as the curtains fell.  
“Well, looks like some things will never change,” he chuckled. “I hope you all enjoy the rest of the evening, folks.”

Kuzco joined the table not long after his flamboyant show, the llama asking what we all thought of his performance. It was hard to say anything short of spectacular, during the entire song the llama was dancing around the stage as he tapped on his instrument, practically begging for all of the attention despite the lion doing all of the legwork, so to speak.  
“Do you always put on a show before dinner?” Nick asked with an obviously sarcastic smile, meriting an elbowing from Judy.  
“I would if I could,” Kuzco admitted with a shrug. “But Malina here doesn’t like it when my head gets too big.”  
“And this is what? The fifth time this month you did one of these?” His girlfriend teased.  
“What can I say? The guests love me.”  
“Not as much as me,” Malina smiled as she leaned over to kiss Kuzco.  
“Woah! Cool down!” Kuzco said as he stopped her. “We’ve got guests tonight.”  
Malina giggled as she backed down.  
“You two seem perfect for each other,” Mandy commented.  
“Would you believe that it took forever to get her to go out with me?” Kuzco admitted. “She didn’t say 'yes' until graduation.”  
“Well you weren’t exactly the most mature of mammals at the time either,” Malina laughed. “This guy called me ‘Hottie-hot-hottie’ when he thought I wasn’t listening.”  
Nick and I couldn’t help but join in the laughter at this.  
“I call ‘em as I see ‘em,” Kuzco defended.

…

We were about halfway through dinner when Malina asked the one question I didn't know I was dreading:  
"So what exactly do you guys do for a living?"  
I almost choked on my soup, going into a pretty bad coughing fit despite myself. I assured everyone that I was okay before Nick started off. The llamas were quite impressed by Nick and Judy's career choice, commenting how Kronk would definitely want an autograph as soon as he found out. Mandy followed after, impressing them even further with her academic success.  
"And what about you Sean?" Malina smiled.  
Everyone's eyes were on me at this point. My friends were no doubt just as interested, but I really couldn't tell them what I used to do.  
"Well... I'm not exactly working at the moment," I admitted, hoping the subject would drop there.  
"How come?"  
This didn't seem like it was going away anytime soon.  
"I kind of didn't have a say in it, to be honest," I said truthfully.  
"I'm so sorry to hear that," the llama apologized, most likely assuming that I got fired.  
"It's fine," I replied, running with the idea. "What do you do Malina?"  
I was hoping she would take the bait and the attention, but I could still feel a couple off eyes staying on me.  
"Oh, I work for a marketing firm," Malina shared.  
“Marketing? So you work on promotional campaigns and stuff like that?” I asked.  
“Yeah, actually,” she smiled. “I even did some promotional work for the resort here.”  
“You did?” Kuzco asked in surprise.  
“Really, Kuzco? How could you not know?” She questioned in exasperation.  
“I may own the resort, but I don’t exactly run it,” he pointed out. “Amzy’s the general manager.”  
“Her name is Amy, Kuzco,” Malina said with a roll of her eyes.  
“Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe,” He dismissed, causing his girlfriend to groan.  
“Whatever, but this is kind of something that you should know about, since it’s literally your business,” She growled.  
“What kind of promotional campaign were you working on here, Malina?” Judy finally cut in.  
“Oh nothing much, just a special membership that Amy and I came up with,” Malina nonchalantly admitted.  
I noticed Nick and Judy share a look at the mention of this.  
“What kind of membership?” Nick asked.  
“It was basically a promise to any members that they will have a guaranteed room regardless of whether or not they reserved beforehand,” the llama shared.  
“Wait! I know that membership!” Mandy piped up. “I was signed up for that for six years and then out of the blue it suddenly doesn’t exist.”  
“Six years?” Malina repeated. “That can’t be possible. The membership was canceled after only a year, not enough mammals were paying for the service for it to be viable.”  
“Well I was never told about it…” The otter grumbled.  
“So the resort doesn’t offer the promotion anymore?” Judy questioned.  
“Unfortunately,” the llama shrugged. “I thought it was a nice offer, but like I said, not enough mammals were signing up.”

…

Dinner finished with smiles all around, the food having been very nice to eat; I hadn’t even seen a hint of bugs in any of the plates and yet Nick seemed more than satisfied. We said our goodbyes to our host and made our way back to our room, along with the rest of the guests that were calling it a night.  
I was hoping that my friends had forgotten my nervousness during dinner as I immediately made for the bedroom.  
“Hey Sean, is there something you’re not telling us?” I heard Judy ask.  
And just like that, my nervousness came back.  
“Umm, what do you mean?” I cautiously returned.  
“Oh yeah, he’s totally hiding something,” Mandy pointed out.  
I seriously have no chance with that otter. I turned around to find my friends with skeptical looks, all of them judging in more than likely different ways.  
“I guess there’s no avoiding it,” I sighed. “I think you guys might want to sit for this…”


	22. Context Sensitive

I was surprised that I had managed to get this far without telling anyone, although it came pretty close to it on the first night when Nick and Judy were questioning me on my world. I think it never really crossed their minds, or maybe they just didn’t care, but now they were asking outright.  
“So… You want to know what my job was before arriving here,” I said to my friends as they sat in front of me.  
“Yes,” Judy firmly replied with crossed arms and a stern look.  
I could tell she was judging me very hard, and the bunny had every reason to. I had purposefully avoided answering the original question during dinner; that would be enough for anyone to assume the worst.  
“I just want to warn you that it might come as a slight shock for you guys,” I told them.  
“Was it something illegal?” Nick suddenly asked, catching me off-guard.  
“N-no, it’s not. At least, not back home, I guess,” I nervously answered, causing the fox to raise a brow.  
“And what exactly would be considered illegal here and not over there?” Judy sternly questioned.  
That was a loaded question if I ever heard one, but I wasn’t a hundred percent sure with my statement on the legality of my old job.  
“I worked part-time,” I started, looking away from my friends. “As a butcher.”

I had practically mumbled that last part, but I was certain that at least Judy had heard it. I had closed my eyes as I waited for the barrage of shouts, but nothing came. I opened my eyes to find my friends staring at me in confusion.  
“You’re not angry?” I asked.  
“When you say ‘butcher’, what do you mean exactly?” Mandy asked in response.  
“I- Uh- Well…” I stuttered in surprise. “I mean… I worked part-time as someone who would cut and sell… Meat…”  
I noticed the obvious realization on Judy’s face. All I felt from it was terror, and it hurt. It hurt so much that I couldn’t stand facing them anymore. I rushed off to my room without a word. 

It didn’t take long for Nick to knock on the door; we were sharing the room after all.  
“So, uh… That was an interesting revelation,” he noted, obviously uneasy about the whole thing.  
“Are you guys happy now?” I rhetorically asked as I was lying on my bed, staring at the ceiling. “I mean, I’ve had literal blood on my hands.”  
“Yeah…”  
“Judy hates me now, doesn’t she?”  
Nick seemed at a loss for words at this, almost saying things before stopping himself. I couldn’t take any more of this. I got up from my bed and rummaged through my bag, pulling out the book that Mrs. Hopps gave me before heading out of the room.  
“Sean? Where are you going?” I heard Mandy ask as I made for the exit.  
“To be alone!” I angrily shot back before slamming the door.

…

I flipped through the pages of ‘Kingdom Animalia’ at a table in the empty dining hall, barely registering the encyclopedic information inside. I was more concerned with how my friends had acted. How Judy had acted. No doubt she looked at me now and only saw a killer, one with a crazy smile as I would serve clients their cuts of meat.  
I won’t deny that I enjoyed my job back home; it was simple, relatively peaceful and it gave me loads of time to think. I probably would’ve looked for a better paying job if it were any other way. But now my experience as a butcher brought nothing but shame to me. Here I am, in a world where the animals that I used to cut up, sell and eat are walking and talking just like me. Talk about twisted. 

I flipped over one more page of the book to find myself staring at a picture of a rabbit. And from the look of it, it reminded me a lot of Judy.  
_Common Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)_  
_The common rabbit is the most wide-spread species of the Lagomorph family, covering most, if not all, continents in the world. Standing anywhere between 45 to 65 centimeters tall (not counting the ears), these small mammals can go unnoticed among larger animals when alone. This, however, happens quite rarely as they tend to stick together among friends and family in their own communities._  
I guess that explains Bunnyburrow. I continued my read on the subject, learning a few new things about rabbits in the process. I was floored by how often the females could breed in a single year; I mean, I knew about the stereotype, but jeez, giving birth to twelve little rabbits at once (or kits, as I found out) in just over a month seems crazy. There had to be some sort of consensus among the parents nowadays on when to stop, or something. Following that little tidbit, I found something that was vaguely familiar to me.  
_Common Rabbit courtship is a slight oddity in itself. The buck will generally chase after the doe of his choosing in a playful manner. If the doe is accepting of the prospective mate, she’ll turn and hit him in an equally playful manner. This can repeat a number of times before one of the pair leaps in the air. If the second one leaps as well, then the deal is all but set in stone._  
So if a bunny girl likes you, she hits you. I’m not quite sure about the “leaping” part being still a thing, since this book is quite old, but I did learn back home that, in general, if a girl is willing to hurt you, she likes you.

__

I was about to continue reading when I heard someone clearing their throat. I looked around to find no one there, before looking down to find a squirrel dressed in a chef’s smock.  
“Can I help you?” I asked.  
“I was wondering if you had any requests from the kitchen before we close for the night,” he said.  
I was surprised by the offer, not having seen what time it was. A quick look at my phone showed that it was well past midnight.  
“Oh, uh… I wasn’t actually going to order anything, I just wanted someplace quiet,” I admitted.  
“I guess that’s understandable,” the squirrel responded. “Have a good night, sir.”  
As the cook walked off, I was reminded of how he reminded me of Kronk.  
“I do have a question though,” I told him.  
“Oh?” He said as he stopped and turned.  
“Are you, by any chance, Kronk’s brother? He mentioned going to help him in the kitchen earlier.”  
The little guy groaned as he creased his nose.  
“Yes. I’m Kronk’s older brother Bucky, and he did ask if he could help in any way,” Bucky admitted. “As much as I appreciate the thought, I really can’t have him working in the kitchen, though.”  
“Why not?” I asked, genuinely intrigued.  
“Well for one, it’s not his job. He’s a security guard, he’s not supposed to be in the kitchen,” the squirrel explained as he hopped onto a chair. “And two, whenever he does manage to get into the kitchen, he takes over the darn place. Now don’t get me wrong, Kronk is just as good a cook as me, but I can’t just LET him boss everyone around, that’s MY job! And when other mammals see him waltz into the kitchen and start cooking, it really hurts the structure that I’ve taken so long to build.  
“The only reason why I haven’t been thrown out of my own kitchen by now is because everyone in there respects me,” he pointed out. “But if a new guy comes in and sees what Kronk does, who’s to say he won’t challenge my authority?”  
“Sounds like you don’t have it easy,” I commented.  
“You can say that again. I love my brother. He has a heart of gold, but sometimes it’s like his brain is just a bag of rocks.”  
“At least he means well.”  
“Yeah… Sorry I laid all that on you,” Bucky apologized as he stepped down from his seat. “It’s just so frustrating and sometimes I need to blow some steam.”  
“It’s okay. It’s been nice meeting you, Bucky. I’m Sean, by the way.”  
“Nice to meet you to,” he smiled. “Are you sure you don’t want anything, though?”  
“Yeah, I’m good, thanks though,” I told him. “But I was also wondering what you used as a broth for your soup today.”  
“Oh that? It was just a simple beetle broth,” the squirrel nonchalantly answered. “Why?”  
“No reason in particular, it was just really good,” I said truthfully.  
“Well I’m glad that you enjoyed it. Good night, Sean.”  
I waved off the miniscule chef and thought of the soup. I hadn’t even tasted the beetles, and yet it was practically the main ingredient. I still had a long ways to go in terms of keeping down bugs, but it was a good start. 

…

I came back to the suite to find it completely dark. I guess it’s not much of a surprise, considering the time. I strolled back towards my room and almost had my hand on the door before I heard Mandy call me out.  
“Sean?”  
I was tempted to ignore her and go to bed, but the worry in her voice stopped me.  
“Yeah, Mandy?” I sighed.  
“Are you okay?” She asked; her voice noticeably closer.  
Not this again.  
“I’m fine. I just… I couldn’t stand seeing you guys look at me the way you did,” I admitted.  
“What did it look like to you?”  
“Like I was a freak,” I explained as I whirled around to face her. “And I get it, I totally understand why you guys would think that, but it still hurts to see it.”  
The otter didn’t say a word in her blue nightgown; she just looked up at me and smiled.  
“What’s so funny?”  
“Just the way you jump to conclusions, Sean,” she said.  
“I- Okay, I’m sorry, you lost me,” I stumbled.  
“We don’t think you’re a freak.”  
“Okay, then how do you explain the face of terror that Judy had on her when I told you guys that I was a butcher?” I demanded.  
“Okay, first off, Judy is very judgemental and she bashes herself whenever she gets a hunch wrong,” the otter explained. “And you were really setting yourself up for her to think that you were a bad person.”  
“Well, I’m sorry for feeling a bit uneasy in admitting what my previous job was, considering my present company,” I spat.  
“Sean, you’re from a different world from ours, we have no reason to judge your job if you say it wasn’t illegal,” she assured me.  
“It’s not, but it’s also not something I can just scream out in public,” I admitted.  
“But it’s not so different from my parents, they’re fishmongers,” Mandy said, causing me to cock my head in confusion.  
“Meaning they cut and sell fish,” she added.  
“Okay, no offense, but that sounds totally stereotypical,” I blurted, causing her to giggle.  
“Yeah, I guess it is, in a way,” she smiled.  
I dropped down and gave her a gentle hug; which seemed to surprise her, as it took a second for her to return it.  
“Thanks Mandy.”  
“Anytime Sean.”


	23. New Plans

Coming out of my room still slightly drowsy, I felt something grab at my leg, almost tripping me in the process. Looking down as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, I saw that it was Judy. She was looking up at me with a sorry look on her face; her ears were fallen against her back.   
“Sean, I wanted to say…” She started, a slight hesitation in her voice. “I’m sorry. I judged you when I shouldn’t have. I thought I was better than that, but I did it anyway.”  
She buried her face in my pant leg.   
“Can you ever forgive me?”  
I pat her gently between the ears until she looked back up at me.   
“Of course I do, Judy,” I told her with a small smile. “You’re my friend.”  
Just as suddenly as I spoke those words, she was hanging by my neck with a bright smile on her face.   
“Thanks Sean, I promise I’ll be more open-minded from now on.”  
“And I promise not to make you think that I’m a bad guy,” I replied as I set her back down.   
“Why would you think that?” She asked in shock.   
“Mandy talked to me last night when I got back,” I shared. “Turns out, I was setting myself up pretty badly.”  
“Well… You kind of were,” Judy admitted.   
“So I promise not to do that again.”  
“Well that’s good to hear,” the bunny smiled. “Are you up for some breakfast?”

…

Breakfast in the dining hall was pretty much what I was expecting it to be, an all you can eat buffet of various foods fit for breakfast. Eggs, fish, waffles, pancakes, fruit, and… Bugs.   
I had filled up my plate quite a bit with the basics, but I would never call it a ‘full’ breakfast. And for the foreseeable future, I don’t think I ever will see a ‘full’ breakfast. I had some scrambled eggs, a waffle dripping with syrup and a slice of pineapple on the side. I couldn’t help but sigh at the missing item.   
“Never pegged you to be a downer at a buffet,” I heard Nick as he wandered past.   
“I’m not a downer, Nick” I groaned. “It’s just that I’m missing something very important for this to be officially breakfast.”  
“And that would be…?”  
I looked at him in the eye with a straight face.   
“You don’t want to know.”  
His brows shot up in what I hoped was understanding of what I meant.   
“Okay…” He slowly worded as he turned to the various foods spread out. “Well, maybe we could find a replacement?”  
I couldn’t help but give a short laugh.   
“Not if you can find something that’s crispy, juicy and salty at the same time!”  
The fox looked at me with a smirk before leading me a ways down the table.   
“Oh no… Nononononono,” I started as he stopped in front of a bowl of bugs. “You are not making me eat that, that’s disgusting!”  
“It’s food, kid,” he stated as he plucked one from the bowl and popped it in his mouth. “And this one just so happens to check all your boxes.”  
The fox took a helping before heading towards our table.   
“Help yourself!”  
I looked down at the bowl of bugs, all of them a muddy brown, a flag sticking out read ‘Smoked Crickets’. I cautiously took one out of the bowl and cringed as I put it in my mouth.  
It was… Okay. Nowhere near the taste of bacon, but it worked. I spooned out a few crickets onto my plate before heading to our table.

“You do know that those are crickets, right?” Mandy hesitantly asked me as she spotted what was on my plate.   
“Yeah… And?”  
“I know I wasn’t around the last time you had bugs, but I don’t exactly want to see a re-enactement,” the otter winced.   
“You won’t, Mandy,” I sighed. “I know full well what I’m getting myself into this time.”  
Just to prove my point, I picked up a cricket and popped into my mouth in front of her, swallowing after taking a few bites.   
“And here I thought I’d get to see the second coming of The Mutant Chameleon,” Nick joked.   
The fox was rewarded with a quick jab to his arm by Judy, a stern look on her face telling me that she wasn’t amused by his antics.   
“Well… Good for you then!” Mandy smiled as she returned to her salmon.

Still feeling a bit adventurous after my plate, I decided to head on back to the buffet and try out the rest of the ‘grub’ available. Though once I got there, my courage had disappeared quite a bit.   
‘Fresh Grubs’, ‘Steamed Beetles’, ‘Caterpillar Purée’, the list of bug-related foodstuffs just grew as I actually took a first good look at what was there.   
“You know, you don’t have to force yourself.”  
Mandy’s sudden appearance beside me had me jump slightly, making her giggle.   
“This is kind of something I need to do sooner or later,” I admitted as I started filling my plate with small portions of everything. “Figure out what I like and don’t like.”  
“I guess that makes sense…”  
I noticed that she hadn’t taken a plate for herself just yet, and was taking glances back towards our table.   
“Was there something that you wanted to talk about?” I asked.   
“More like a plan that I wanted to go over with you for today.”  
Of course…

…

This is a stupid plan and I should stop it. There’s no way that it’s going to be productive in the slightest.   
Mandy throwing out Judy’s old bathing suit? Fine. I can understand that, she’s wearing something infinitely better looking now anyway. But this? This is just ridiculous.   
The four of us are waiting in line to go down the park’s longest waterslide at Mandy’s insistence. Judy’s at the head of our group, followed by Nick, then Mandy and then finally me.   
The otter’s “foolproof” plan involves her pushing Nick into the slide while Judy is still going down. They crash into each other in the pool below and then they get into a fight which we’re supposed to split up.   
No matter how many ways I look at it, it doesn’t make any sense. As far as I know, Mandy wants to get the two together, and yet she’s plotting to get them into a fight.   
“Mandy, I think that we should rethink our options,” I whispered through gritted teeth as I leaned in close to her.   
“I know what I’m doing,” she whispered back.   
“Oh thanks, that’s very reassuring,” I shot sarcastically.   
“Quiet! We’re almost up.”

The attendant at the top of the slide, a deer dressed in the park’s standard employee t-shirt, had Judy getting ready to go.   
“Okay, you’re clear to go,” he lazily waved her off.   
The bunny pushed off and she disappeared into the bright red tube giggling. Almost immediately, Mandy started counting down her mark. It was now or never, I had to warn Nick.   
“4… 3… 2…”  
“Nick! Look out!”  
The fox turned just a little too late. Mandy faked a stumble as she pushed Nick into the tube after Judy. Seemingly pleased with herself, the otter was wiping her paws free of imaginary dirt.   
“And that’s stage one complete!” She smirked as she turned to me. “And you made it even more convincing!”  
Frowning, I pushed her into the tube as well. Now while I was expecting her to curse my name as she disappeared inside, I was instead shocked to hear her laughing.


End file.
